


Sign My Heart Away

by loganmai



Category: Fall Out Boy, Motionless in White (Band), My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco
Genre: Alpha!Frank, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Anal Sex, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Cancer, Child Neglect, Chronic Pain, Disabled Character, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gay Sex, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Multi, Omega!Gerard, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Past Relationship(s), Past Sexual Abuse, Physical Disability, Sexual Assault, Slow Build, Smut, tease and denial
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-12-12 02:49:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 20
Words: 64,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11727954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loganmai/pseuds/loganmai
Summary: When Frank, an alpha, agrees to sign the papers for his marriage to a stranger, he doesn't know quite what to expect. But when his new omega husband Gerard turns up on his doorstep with a walking stick and a whole truckload of baggage, Frank knows his life is about to get a whole lot more interesting.





	1. Chapter 1

**F**

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Nope. Sign here.” 

“No! Fuck off!”

Dad glared at me and I sighed. “You found me a fucking husband and you're forcing me to marry him?”

“Yes.”

“But you can't-”

“We can and we will. We did our research, we’re sure you will love him. Gerard is a talented and handsome young man, and a very fertile Omega,” Mum cut in. “You're twenty six, you need to be married and start having children.”

“I fucking hate children,” I grumbled, but signed on the line, underneath a messy signature with only a G legible. My new husband. 

“He has shitty handwriting,” I snapped, running out of things to say. I'd given up attempting to fight back against my parents when I was in high school. I slammed the pen down and pushed away the sick feeling as I stared at the piece of paper that would change my life forever. 

~~~

The doorbell rang and I jumped up, wringing my hands briefly before hurrying into the hall. I took a deep breath and unlocked the deadbolt, then flung the door open. 

The man opposite me looked startled, his hazel eyes wide and worried as he stared at me. He was a couple inches taller than me, like pretty much everyone else, but he held himself in a way I could only describe as light, as if afraid to make his presence known or to touch the floor too much. 

His wavy black hair brushed his jaw and shoulders, and the tight black tee shirt revealed a thin waist and slightly toned upper body. The only thing that threw me was the cane. 

I smiled, trying not to let it seem too forced. “You must be Gerard. It's a pleasure to meet you, why don't you come inside?”

Gerard winced and looked down quickly. “Uh, I could use some help with my luggage...I uh..can't carry much.”

I stepped out onto the porch, squeezing his shoulder lightly. “It's alright. Why don't you go inside and make yourself comfortable? I'll bring everything in.”

Gerard blinked at me in vague surprise and I gently gripped his forearm, rubbing my thumb over his skin. “You're home now,” I said, not entirely sure why, then leaned in and kissed his cheek. He let out a soft breath, eyelids fluttering slightly. “Th-thanks..”

I blushed as he limped past me, then shook my head slightly. I shouldn't have kissed him, but something about him was so...touchable. This was going to be a long evening. 

 

When I got back inside, setting Gerard's two cases down by the stairs, he was waiting patiently, perched on the edge of the couch uncomfortably. I slipped into the room and smiled as he looked up at me. “You okay?” I asked, shoving my hands in my pockets. He looked worried, his eyebrows furrowed slightly and his eyes still uncertain. 

“I've never been in a house this big,” he said quietly, with a shaky, short-lived half smile. “It's a little intimidating..”

I swallowed hard. Gerard wasn't just touchable. He radiated vulnerable, and it seemed to bring something out in me that I'd never really seen before. 

I sat down next to him, rubbing his shoulder slowly. “It's okay, Gerard. It's yours too now, you don't have to be scared.”

“But you didn't...didn't want me, did you?”

I sighed and brushed his hair behind his ears. I couldn't keep my hands off him. “It wasn't personal, Gerard, I just...didn't want my parents picking my husband for me. That's all. Now that you're here..” I offered him a slight smile. “You're my husband, and I have a duty to make you feel safe.” 

Gerard looked down and took a deep breath. “Okay...thank you..”

“How about something to drink? And a tour? Make you feel more at home..”

He gulped and shook his head hesitantly. “I'd like to..” He looked down at his hands, picking at the skin around his thumbnail. “I want to know what you expect of me.”

I frowned and put a hand over his. “You'll make that bleed, Gerard. And what do I expect from you? I don't really know yet, because I don't know you. I guess...I expect you to be yourself. I expect you to be able to tell me when you feel uncomfortable or need something from me.”

“I don't...have to call you sir or alpha or anything?”

I shook my head quickly. “I'm not your boss and I'm not your alpha. Frank is fine, really.”

I stroked his hair back from his face carefully. “I don't want you to cook or clean or anything like that. I mean...maybe sometimes. I like to cook, so that's covered and uh...maybe you can help me with the chores sometimes? Look, I really don't know how this works, Gerard. How about we just figure it out as we go along?”

He blinked at me in confusion, but nodded slowly. “Okay..” 

“What would you like to drink?”

“Um. Just water is fine..”

I stood up, shrugging. “Are you sure? I have coke and orange juice as well..”

Gerard's eyes widened slightly and he smiled a little. “Coke, then. If that's alright.”

“Of course..”

I hurried off into the kitchen, trying to control my breathing. I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans, leaning back against the counter. Gerard was strange, in a nice sort of way, but it was so  _ fucking  _ awkward. What  _ did _ I expect from him? Not to be an asshole was my only real expectation. 

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, staring at the floor. He seemed sweet, though. Just scared and nervous. 

I got a glass out of the cupboard, setting it on the counter before opening the fridge and taking out the bottle of coke. I heard uneven footsteps and looked up as Gerard limped in. 

“Hey...here..” I poured out a good amount of coke and slid the glass towards him. He took it, thanking me quietly and glancing around the kitchen in awe. “Uh...what do you do for a living, Frank?”

I grabbed another glass and poured myself a coke before putting the bottle back in the fridge. “I'm a high school music teacher, all this-” I gestured around the room. “This is my parents’ money. They insisted on buying my first house.” 

Gerard nodded slightly, looking down. I took a deep breath. 

“May I ask what's uh...wrong with your leg?” I asked quietly, wincing at how rude I sounded. Gerard looked up in surprise, blinking at me a couple times before finally opening his mouth. “I um. I had a rare kind of tumor in my thigh, they removed it but the surgery went wrong and a bunch of my muscle tissue died. It's um. Painful.”

I abandoned my drink, shifting closer to him instead. “I'm sorry, Gerard. That sucks.”

He smiled slightly and ducked his head with a shrug. “I'm used to it now.”

“How old are you? I'm 26.”

“Twenty three.” 

I hummed softly. “You look younger. Do you uh...what would help you settle in?” 

Gerard blinked again, rubbing one of his eyes with the heel of his hand. “I don't really know, I'm sorry, this is just..” He waved a his hand vaguely and I chuckled. 

“I know. How about I help you unpack and then maybe I could order pizza and we could watch a movie or something before bed? It might help us both relax a little.”

“Yes s-...Frank.”

I tilted my head slightly, then sighed. “Come on, then. Are you okay with the stairs?”

“Um. Yeah, I'll be okay. Thanks, Frank..”

“No problem. I don't want you to hurt yourself or anything, hon.” 

I led him into the hallway and he grabbed onto the handrail, heaving himself onto the first step. I winced, quickly putting a hand on his back to help him balance. 

Gerard winced as he took another step, but sighed quietly and kept going, soon making it to the top. I rubbed his back lightly while he caught his breath. “That's it. Down to the right, second door on the left, okay?”

He nodded and shuffled off while I jogged back down the stairs, grabbing his cases and hurrying up again. I stepped into the room and Gerard looked back at me in confusion. “Where's your things?”

I blinked and light dawned suddenly. “Well, I thought that while we’re adjusting and getting to know one another, maybe you could have your own room, yeah? I mean...it's up to you really, but I thought a little privacy might be welcome.”

Gerard looked away, staring out of the bedroom window as a huge grin stretched his thin lips, showing off his tiny white teeth. “Yeah. Yeah, this is perfect, Frank. Thank you, so so much.” 

“God, don't sound that relieved,” I chuckled, and he froze for a few seconds before smiling again. 

“Sorry, but you look like a duvet stealer.”

I blinked a couple times, shocked by the previously timid man’s response. “I can be, that's true,” I answered eventually, grinning at him and opening my arms. “Would you like a hug?”

Gerard shook his head slightly, a blush creeping up on his cheeks. “No, thanks. I'm not um. Very touchy, not until I know someone.” 

I dropped my arms back to my sides, nodding slightly. “That's fine. Let's uh..” I lifted his suitcases up carefully, setting them down on the bed. “There we go. Let's get started.”

I helped Gerard sort his clothes, noticing him pulling a few framed pictures from his other case. 

“What are those?” I asked, trying to seem genuinely curious rather than confrontational. Gerard froze anyway, gulping before looking at me with wide eyes. “Uh. P-pictures of my family..”

“May I see?” I held my hand out and he hesitated before passing the photo over shakily. 

Gerard wasn't in it, but there were his parents and a younger boy, all three smiling. I gave the photo back to Gerard, unable to help noticing the brief look of surprise in his eyes. 

“Who's the kid? Your brother?”

“Yeah,” he smiled slightly, passing the other photo over to me. “He's nearly eighteen now.”

“Nice..” I wiped a bit of dirt off the glass with my thumb, looking at the picture. Gerard was in this one, clearly a few years back and without his cane. He had his arm around the shoulders of his brother, and another boy was standing next to him, grinning from ear to ear. A taller, slightly older looking kid stood behind Gerard, smiling shyly and resting a tattooed hand on his shoulder. He was wearing large sunglasses. Just behind Gerard's brother was another older guy, staring at Gerard with only the ghost of a smile on his face. 

“Who are these people?”

Gerard shuffled to stand next to me, smiling to himself as he pointed to his brother. “That's Mikey, then me, which is...kind of obvious, sorry,” he muttered, blushing. “Uh, that's Pete, he's with Mikey now. Behind me is Chris, he's a little older than me and married now, but he's a really good friend of mine. And um..” Gerard hesitated, looking exceedingly uncomfortable. “That's David. We're not friends anymore. I um...need to find a sticker to put over his face or something. It's just...I like that picture. It was my eighteenth, and we went to the theme park.”

“I like it too,” I smiled, handing it back carefully. 

Gerard shot me a quick, slightly nervous smile. “Thanks for letting me keep them.”

I shrugged and rubbed his back briefly. “That's okay. I just hope I get to meet some of them soon especially Mikey. You guys seem close.”

Gerard nodded slightly, limping back to the bedside table and setting the pictures up carefully. “Yeah, we've fallen out plenty of times, but he's a good kid.”

“Would it be too personal if I asked why?” I probed gently, knowing not to push Gerard too far. He was on the edge as it was. 

“Kind of. It's uh...I'm the only omega in my family, my parents and Mikey are all betas, so it's just like...strange sometimes. I don't know..” 

I nodded slightly and dropped the subject. “Did you not bring much other than clothes?”

“I didn't have much other than clothes,” Gerard shrugged. 

I pulled out a wash bag that hadn't been zipped up properly and the contents spilled on the bed. I swore quietly and sighed, picking up one of the bottles. It rattled and I looked at it curiously, then opened it. “Are these..?”

I looked up at Gerard and had to catch my breath. Sheer terror was dominating his expression, his eyes wide and his lips tight. He wasn't breathing quite right, his breaths quick and shallow as he stared at the bottle in my hand. I put the cap back on slowly and turned it over, reading the back. 

“Pain pills, huh?”

“Y-yes sir..”

I blinked in shock and looked up again. Gerard was shaking now, and his forehead was glistening with sweat. I stepped smartly around the bed and gently grabbed his wrist. “Come with me.”

I could feel his heartbeat pounding against my fingers, and briefly felt guilty for drawing this out. He clearly thought I was angry or that I was going to take them away, but if I didn't settle his fears yet, the message would sink in a little better. 

I pulled him into my bathroom, opening the medicine cabinet. I took his bottle of pills and placed it next to mine carefully. 

“You can keep them in here, yeah? I like to keep all my medicines in the same place.”

Gerard almost collapsed, but I'd been expecting it and quickly steadied him. 

“Shh, it's alright,” I murmured as he sniffed, trembling slightly. “Did you think I was going to take them away?”

Gerard put his hands over his mouth and nose, looking away from me as he nodded quickly. I squeezed his shoulder gently. “Look, Gerard. I take meds every day too, for my anxiety. Lots of people try to tell me I don't need them, but I know I do, and I'm sure you need yours as well. This is why I want you to be able to talk to me about things. I'll always try my hardest to understand, okay?”

Gerard nodded and sniffed again, still not able to look at me. I smiled sadly and stroked his hair a couple times. “Let's finish up this unpacking, yeah? Then I can order some pizza.” 

~

Gerard went straight to bed after an awkward, quiet dinner. He kept avoiding my gaze, but still smiled at me when we did make eye contact. I had just gotten ready for bed myself and was walking to Gerard's door to check on him when I heard his voice. 

“Yeah, no, it's been super awkward. But he's so sweet to me, Mikey. He offered me a drink when I first got in and he helped me unpack my stuff. He even asked me about all my pictures, but like...I could tell he was genuinely interested, y'know? He wasn't just fucking with me. And then he found my pills and I almost had a huge panic attack, but he promised he won't take them away…”

There was a short pause and a soft giggle. “The house? My God, Mikey, it's gigantic! He even has a hot tub. I've always wanted to try one! And he gave me my _own room._ I don't think he's loaded, he said he was a high school teacher, I think his parents bought his house...yeah, exactly. He seems really down to earth, not snooty or anything. Him?”

Another brief pause and Gerard laughed. “Well. He's kind of short, a few inches shorter than me, and he's not hugely buff, I think he's more sort of toned. He's got tattoos, which is a huge bonus, and these really big green eyes. I know, I'm not selling it, but he is cute. He doesn't look at me like I'm just...an omega. He seems to actually really care. Which...I mean..” Gerard's upbeat tone dropped away and he sighed. “I doubt it'll last long. I'm not...I'm not desirable anymore. He’ll probably just want me for making babies. It's not like any alpha wants to claim an omega with a fucked up leg like mine. We're supposed to be pretty and cute and fun to be around..”

Gerard hesitated again and I assumed Mikey was talking. “Mikes, you know that's not true. I  _ used  _ to be pretty. Anyway, I don't wanna talk about it. He’ll fuck me eventually and I'll have his child and then he’ll go find another omega whore. I'm not worth his time.”

I rested my forehead on the wall next to the door, sighing quietly. I wanted to bust in there and pull him close and tell him it was going to be alright, that even if I didn't love him, someone else would, but I couldn't let him know I’d been listening. 

There was a soft sniffle. 

_ Fuck.  _

“He did kiss me,” Gerard murmured in a broken, shaky voice. I couldn't hear the reply, but it seemed to cheer him up somewhat. 

“Yeah. Just on the cheek, but he's pretty touchy..”

I knocked on the door lightly and Gerard swore softly. “I gotta go, Mikey...come in!”

I opened the door quickly and looked away immediately. Gerard was shirtless, his pale skin almost glowing under the dim lights of the bedroom. 

“S-sorry, Gerard,” I mumbled, running a hand through my hair nervously as I felt my breathing start to quicken. He looked so  _ delicious  _ in that moment, and it had been so long since I'd had a good fuck. Gerard pulled a sheet over his chest, blushing slightly. 

“It's okay...is everything alright?”

I took a deep breath to calm myself down, looking directly into his eyes as I smiled. “Yeah, I just wanted to check you were settling in okay before I head off to bed.”

Gerard nodded quickly and I suddenly realized he'd hidden his phone. 

“Gerard,” I said slowly, biting my lip as I paused. “You know you can use your phone as much as you like...I'm not gonna stop you talking to your friends or family.”

Gerard gave me one of his blank, slightly terrorized stares. 

“I'm serious,” I insisted quietly. “Look, I'm not someone who’ll say something and then go back on it to fuck with you. I'm not like that, if I say it, I mean it.”

He managed a tiny, awkward smile. “Okay, Frank,” he answered in a tone that suggested very strongly that he didn't actually believe me, but wanted me to go away. 

“Um. Okay. I'm off to work at seven tomorrow, I've labeled all the drawers and cupboards in the kitchen for you, there's plenty of cereal and stuff. You can sleep in as much as you like and do whatever you want, okay? I'll be back at about four and I'll make us some dinner. Maybe after that we can talk for a while?” I added hopefully. “We really need to get to know one another better.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like this! It's my first time writing alpha/omega stuff so please excuse me if it's awful.   
> Thanks for checking this out!  
> Logan <3


	2. Chapter 2

**F**

I could hear Gerard's uneven footsteps upstairs, and sighed to myself. I'd called in sick to spend more time with him, but I was already starting to question my decision. I probably should have given him space. 

I heaved myself up off the couch anyway, plodding up the stairs slowly and knocking on Gerard's door. I shifted my weight slightly. I could feel something was a little off, and it was bothering me. 

“Um. I'm getting dressed!”

I bit my lip harshly, the feeling of ‘off-ness’ fading as a feeling of tightness in my jeans took over. “Are you alright?”

Gerard's voice had sounded thick and pained. 

“Yeah.”

“You don't sound okay, hon. Do you want me to get your pain pill for you?”

“N-no!...I'm f-fine, thanks..”

I opened my mouth slightly, drawing the air past my teeth and through the back of my throat. “Oh.”

My body suddenly felt on edge, trembling like a leaf in the wind, yet full of ferocious energy. 

“Gerard...Gerard, I know you've just come into heat, I can smell it and it must be agony. Please open the door for me. I can get you heat suppressors and everything, I just need you to let me in.”

There was a long pause. 

“Gerard, look. I'm not interested in throwing you down on the ground and taking you, I'm really really not. I'm not going to trick you either. I just want you to be comfortable.”

Gerard didn't say anything, but I heard soft snuffling, then a low whimper that made my blood run cold. “Gerard, please please open this door...I can't listen to this.”

I rattled the handle and groaned, then sighed and bumped my shoulder against the door just right, humming as the lock clicked and the door swung open. Gerard stared at me in horror. 

He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his sore leg stretched out oddly and his arms wrapped around his stomach. He was shaking all over, tears running down his cheeks slowly. 

I stepped forward and Gerard flinched away immediately, letting out a tiny sob. I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists lightly, then forced my entire body to relax. I needed to not look threatening. 

“Hey. It's alright, Gerard. I can control myself. You're clearly in pain, just please let me help..”

I took another experimental step forward and Gerard flinched again, but less violently this time, his eyes full of uncertainty rather than blind fear. 

“That's it,” I soothed, slowly shifting closer until I could touch him. He twitched, but cast his eyes down quickly, relaxing a little. I moved my hand from his shoulder to his hair, wincing as he groaned and doubled up suddenly, nearly sliding off the bed. “Oh geez. Shh. Come on, beautiful,” I murmured, squeezing his shoulder again. 

“Ah-ahh..” He choked out, shaking much worse now as he gagged softly. 

I grabbed the trash bin from under his desk, moving it over to his bed quickly. “Shh. Try and breathe through it, alright? Once this one passes, I'm gonna help you lay down and then go find you some pills, alright?”

Gerard nodded almost imperceptibly, his shoulders jerking as he sobbed silently. I wrapped an arm around him tentatively, resting my forehead against the side of his head. “Shh, beautiful. It's gonna be okay. It's all gonna be alright. Just take nice deep breaths and remember I'm here.” 

Once Gerard seemed to be at least a little calmer, I carefully lifted him up and laid him back in his bed properly. “Try and relax, I'm gonna go get those pills.”

 

When I got back, Gerard was staring at nothing, his body trembling and his cheeks wet. I sighed and shook my head. How anyone, alpha or not, could hurt someone in this state was beyond me. I'd heard plenty of stories of attempted and successful rapes in an omega’s first few days of heat, and they'd always made me feel sick. All I wanted to do was curl up with Gerard and hold him until the pain stopped. 

I set the glass of water down on the bed, noticing that Gerard didn't react at all to my presence. “Hey..” I murmured, brushing his hair behind his ear. “I brought those pills, can you sit up?”

Gerard's eyes finally flicked to me as he shook his head slowly, then winced.

“Okay, beautiful. Come on..” I heaved him up as carefully as I could, quickly giving him the pills and helping him sip from his glass. “That's it..”

I laid him down again slowly, then drew the blanket over him and handed him a hot water bottle, which he took gratefully and shoved under the blanket. I sighed and glanced around briefly, then went to the window and pulled the curtains back before opening it a crack. Fresh air helped with everything. 

I walked back to Gerard and grabbed his desk chair, pulling it up to the bed before sitting down. He squinted at me. “Why are you here?”

I sighed and leaned back in the chair, folding my arms over my chest. “I called in sick because I really wanted to spend some quality time with you, try and get to know you some more, but I guess it was just luck, huh? Did you not bring your pills with you?”

Gerard pulled a face and curled up a little tighter. “N-no. I thought I had, but I couldn't find them.”

I smiled sadly and started to rub slow circles into his hip. “I'm sorry. I'll get you a proper prescription from my doctor, okay?”

Gerard groaned, then gasped softly and practically folded in on himself, trembling and letting out a soft whine. My chest tightened a little and I stroked my hand up and down his side until the cramps finally passed and he began to relax. 

“Talk to me..” Gerard mumbled, his voice raspy and weak as he let his eyes slip closed.  

I hesitated, glancing around the room desperately, searching for help or inspiration. “About what?”

“Anything..”

I smiled and shook my head slowly, my shoulders sagging slightly. “That's not overly helpful.”

“Okay. So how did you get to be so nice?”

I hummed softly, considering this for a minute or two. “Well, when I was growing up, I was the only alpha in my friend group. We had one beta and two omegas. They all went into heat at the same time when they came of age and I went absolutely wild. I couldn't see, I tried to grab them, I yelled, I fucking pissed myself. It must have been pretty funny to someone watching from the outside, but it scared them all pretty badly. So I learned to control myself around them. I ended up losing my virginity with one of them, but it was after dating for ages and yeah...I don't know. I just hate the idea of using someone just because of the way they were born. Like...so many other alphas talk about omegas just as being holes to fuck or baby making machines, but I can't imagine ever thinking of a  _ person  _ like that.” I stopped for a second, remembering Gerard's phone call to his brother. “I mean...you're stunning. Honestly stunning, Gerard, but that's not all you are. I've seen that you have a sense of humor, and you seem like you can be really witty. And excitable about things, which is honestly adorable..” I trailed off and sighed. “I'm rambling now, but I guess I'm trying to say that I'm glad we get a chance to know one another.”

Gerard sniffed and pulled the blanket up over his face, but I could tell there was a blush on his cheeks. 

“Look, Gerard. I don't know what kinds of experiences you've had before, but I'm going to take care of you. You're my husband, and that means that we’re...connected. Independent of romantic or sexual feelings, we’re...responsible for one another, in a way. Whether you love me or even like me or not is irrelevant. You're my husband and I'll always be here when you need me.”

I reached over, rubbing his shoulder slowly. “Besides, I think you're totally 'fall in love with' material, for me, anyway.”

Gerard giggled shyly from under the blanket and I grinned, running a hand through my hair. 

“You feeling any better, Gerard?”

He pulled the blanket down enough to peer over the edge at me, his hazel eyes slightly wet. 

“Yeah..”

“I'm glad, hon,” I murmured, leaning over him and kissing his forehead softly. “So what do you like to do in your spare time?”

Gerard blinked at me, shocked. “You-...you wanna know?”

“Why would I ask if I didn't?” I chuckled, leaning forward in my seat a little as I smiled at him. 

“O-okay...um. I paint and draw a lot...that's about it, really. I don't usually have much free time..” 

He'd pulled the blanket down a little more now, showing off his shy smile. 

“That's really cool, maybe you can show me some some time,” I murmured, studying his round, sweet face. He looked away slightly, his long eyelashes half hiding his irises. “I'd really like to meet some of your people, too,” I added quietly, glad I had found something to talk about that seemed to make him feel good. 

Gerard's gaze shifted back to me and he smiled halfway. “Mm. I'd like to meet some of your friends too. My friends and family are...kinda farther away, it would be nice to have some people here.”

I blinked. “I didn't...I didn't know that. Where are you from?” 

“East side of New York. The state, not the city.”

“Oh. I'm sorry...but I can drive you up there this weekend if you want...I don't have to meet people like right away, I could just drop you off. I mean...if it makes you feel better. You must be homesick..”

Gerard smiled brightly, nodding quickly. “That would be amazing. And yeah, I am a little. But I do like it here.”

I stroked his hair away from his face slowly. “I'm glad. I like having you here. Is there anything else I should know about you?”

Gerard swallowed and looked away, but shook his head slightly. “I'm not an overly interesting person.”

“I'm sure there's a lot more to you that you aren't thinking of telling me,” I chuckled, smiling at him softly. “But I guess we’ll get there.”

He went a little red again and let out a soft sigh.  

“In my spare time, I like to play guitar and write songs. I'm not overly good at it, but I like it..”

Gerard's gaze shifted back to me as he offered me a small smile. “That's pretty cool..” He shifted slightly and winced, squeezing his eyes shut. I started to rub circles into his hip again, biting my lip lightly. “What hurts, beautiful?”

“Stomach..” 

“What can I do to make it better, Gerard? Would you like a cuddle, a movie on, something to eat or drink…? All of the above? None of the above?”

Gerard opened his soft hazel eyes, blinking at me as his hands shook on the blanket. “I-...I don't want a cuddle, thank you. But I do um..” He hesitated, blushing slightly. “I do like it when you rub my hip. And just..comfort me. A distraction and maybe some bread and butter would help..”

I nodded and stood up a little too quickly, almost knocking my chair over. “Okay. I'll be right back. Shout if you need me, beautiful.”

 

When I slipped back into Gerard's room, holding my tray out in front of me carefully, he was sitting up and texting, the water bottle still pressed against his stomach, one knee bent and his other, damaged leg laid out in front of him. 

I set the tray down on the desk, carrying the glass of water and the plate of bread and butter over to the bedside table. “Who are you talking to?” I asked gently, trying not to startle him. He frowned slightly, shifting uncomfortably. 

“Mikey. He says he'd really like to meet up this weekend, and he wants to meet you, but apparently Pete will be around.”

“Pete?” 

Gerard shrugged. “His alpha..” I watched his face as he started to pick at the sheets moodily. 

“Do you not like him?”

“No, he's okay..” Gerard trailed off, missing out the ‘but.’ 

“Is it just awkward or..?”

“Not really.”

Gerard seemed to be getting more and more agitated the more questions I asked, blinking more frequently and picking at the skin on his slightly shaky fingers. I stood there for a few seconds until light suddenly dawned. Mikey, his  _ younger beta  _ brother had been claimed before him. 

“Gerard-”

He held up a hand quickly. “You don't have to go, it's fine.”

“No, hon, I'd love to,” I said quickly, sitting down on the edge of the bed and resting a hand on his knee. “I really would. But you seem...upset.”

“I don't want to talk about it.”

“Okay. How's your leg?”

I had started to pick up patterns by now, and was half expecting the flicker of surprise in his expression. “Uh. Yeah, it's okay. I need to massage it at some point.”

“Oh..I mean, I can help if you wanted..”

Gerard pulled a face immediately. “No!” He flinched almost as if at the sound of his own voice. “Sorry, Frank, sorry. I just...it's not a very nice sight, a-and-”

“And you think it'll put me off you,” I finished as kindly as I could, trying to make sure he knew 100% that I wasn't telling him off. He gave a tiny nod, cheeks heating up as he looked down. 

“Gerard, I'm not...I'm not really a looks kind of guy,” I murmured, stroking down the length of his calf slowly. “It's not really gonna bother me. Not much does, but if you're not comfortable or confident yet, then I fully understand.”

He smiled slightly and picked up his plate carefully. “Thank you, Frank. I've made arrangements with Mikey and Pete, I hope that's okay.”

“Of course. Just tell me where to drive and I'll be alright.”

I watched him nibble at the bread and sighed, getting up slowly. I picked a random Marvel movie and shoved it in the DVD player, then pulled my chair back up to Gerard's bed. “That okay?”

“Yeah, thanks, Frank. I feel a little better now.”

“Good, I'm really glad to hear it,” I smiled warmly, then settled back in my seat to keep him company. 

~~~

Gerard clung to my arm gently as I led him out of the house slowly. It had been a couple days since his heat started, and it seemed to be settling down on his suppressors. I could still smell it on him, but I didn't mind. It was almost soothing, in some ways. We hadn't been together much, as I'd been very busy with work and Gerard had been keeping himself quiet at home. I'd tried to make conversation with him over the dinners I cooked, but quickly discovered that he hated talking while eating, so we'd talked a little in the evening, just before bed. 

In short, we hadn't made a lot of headway in getting to know one another, so I hoped that taking him to see a couple of my friends might help him start to relax and open up. 

I helped my husband into the car, hanging the new disabled card from my rearview mirror before getting in behind the wheel. 

“You okay?” I asked softly as Gerard buckled his belt. “You seem quiet.”

“Honestly? I'm a little nervous.”

“Don't be,” I soothed, turning the car on and pulling out into the road. “Everyone is gonna love you. We’re just meeting Brendon and Patrick today, okay? Patrick is an omega, and he's super sweet. Bubbly, but sweet. Brendon is my only alpha friend, and he's a lot like me. He might have a bit of a look at you today cause you still smell like heat, but he won't touch you, I promise. Uh...what else..? I think that's it, really. Oh, and Brendon is a little taller than you.”

Gerard nodded slightly, staring out of the window silently. I sighed softly and kept driving. 

~

“Frank!”

I chuckled, catching Patrick in my arms and hugging him tightly. “Hey, Pat...you miss me?”

He giggled and nodded, pulling away quickly. “Yeah, I was super excited when you texted me! I was hoping we'd meet up again soon but I knew you were busy with-”

His gaze flicked past me to settle on Gerard and he trailed off. “Holy fuck.”

Gerard quickly looked away, color rising in his cheeks. 

I nudged Pat gently and he went on immediately, clearly getting the message. 

“I mean...wow, Frank. He's absolutely gorgeous..”

Patrick walked around me, squeezing my shoulder as he sashayed up to Gerard, pulling him into an unwanted hug. “Hey! It's so nice to meet you, finally! Frank's been nervous about what you'd be like for weeks...I'm sure he's not disappointed.”

I smiled to myself, chuckling internally. Gerard's expression was halfway between uncomfortable embarrassment and pleasure at the flattery. Although it wasn't really flattery - Gerard  _ was  _ gorgeous, and I wasn't disappointed. I stepped back to my husband, gently taking his arm. 

“Shall we go inside?” I asked to both of them vaguely. Gerard nodded and Pat's eyes widened a little as I started to lead Gerard to the doors. He leaned on me heavily, shaking slightly, so I put my hand over his and rubbed my thumb over his knuckles slowly. “Are you alright?”

“A bit stiff,” he mumbled, blushing again as he pursed his lips. “Long car rides are uh...not so good for me.”

“Well we have a long one tomorrow...will you be okay? I mean, that was only really half an hour, tomorrow is more like two.”

He nodded slightly. “Yeah, it's just that it takes a minute to stretch out again..”

I smiled at the waitress and she led us over to a table in the corner quickly. I grinned at Brendon, who got up and pulled me into a brief hug, then did a double take when he saw Gerard. I noticed his pupils dilating and something in me stirred. I pulled Gerard's chair out as fast as I could, helping him sit down. “Gerard, this is Brendon..”

I sat down in front of Brendon's chair, and both Brendon and Patrick took their seats. Brendon wouldn't stop staring at Gerard, who had his head bowed and was picking at his fingernails. 

“It's lovely to meet you, Gerard.”

Gerard's head snapped up and panic washed over his eyes. “And you, s-...Brendon.”

I stretched, leaning back slightly and laying my arm over the back of Gerard's chair. Brendon's eyes narrowed and Gerard swallowed thickly. I discreetly started to rub his shoulder, pressing a little harder with my thumb in an attempt to soothe him. Pat nudged Brendon and whispered something in his ear which seemed to snap him out of it as he blinked and looked down at the table. Gerard relaxed just slightly and I smiled at him. He didn't look at me. 

“What are you gonna have, Pat?” I asked pointedly, pushing Gerard's menu a little closer to him. He flinched just slightly, blinking a couple times before picking the menu up slowly. I squeezed his shoulder, nodding as Pat explained the sandwich he was going to order. 

Gerard was shaking slightly now, suddenly dropping the menu and burying his face in his hands. 

I got up immediately. “Sorry, guys, I think I need a minute or two with my husband,” I announced, taking Gerard's arm and helping him up carefully. “Come on..”

He staggered against me and I shushed him softly, rubbing his back as I led him towards the bathrooms. 

As soon as the door swung shut behind us, I leaned up and started to stroke his hair. “What's going on, hon? You look so scared and upset...I'm really worried about you..”

Gerard backed away from me, ducking his head and gasping ever so slightly as his back hit a wall. I sighed and he flinched, immediately making me feel guilty. “Fuck, Gerard,” I mumbled, running a hand through my hair. “I can't help you if I can't understand why you're so upset. You have to tell me.”

Gerard sniffed and suddenly hurried forward, trying to push past me. I caught him as gently as I could, putting a hand on his chest. “Hey...come on. I'm not angry with you, Gerard. Just worried..”

I took one of his hands gently, massaging his palm slowly. “Look at me..”

He glanced up briefly, and the fear in his eyes almost knocked the breath out of my lungs. “Gerard, I'm not going to hurt you,” I said slowly, squeezing his hand again. “And I don't want to put you in a situation which makes you uncomfortable. If you need to go, we can do this another time. It's alright, really.”

Gerard sniffed and pulled his hand away from mine, backing off again and letting out a tiny sob. I sighed and rubbed my eyes. 

“Gerard, please don't cry. Just talk to me.”

He sniffed again and took a deep breath. “I don't know..”

I closed my eyes for a few seconds. “Is this about Brendon and your heat? Is he making you nervous?”

“A l-little..”

I nodded slowly and then opened my arms. “Come on, you want a hug? We can go home.”

“I just wanna go home.”

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this is okay, I'm trying to go a little slower on this one, but it's so hard for me :/


	3. Chapter 3

**G**

Frank offered me his hand, but I ignored it, leaning my head on the car window. I sniffed and dried my cheeks on my hoodie sleeve, a little shaky. Frank sighed and shifted gears, shaking his head slightly. 

I flinched and he glanced at me. 

“Gerard, I swear to you there's nothing to be scared of. I'm not angry with you, Pete and Brendon understand, and it's all good. I'm only pulling faces and sighing because I'm worried about you. You're not really telling me anything and it scares me.” 

“I'm tired.”

“And overwhelmed and stressed and upset. I know, I just hate the fact that I don't know how to help,” Frank murmured, pulling up at a stop and flashing me a quick smile. “I like helping people, Gerard. And making people feel at home and comfortable. It's just how I work, and you're no exception. I want you to be happy.”

“I have baggage, Frank,” I mumbled, looking down and wiping another tear away. I was getting tired of the fucking things. I didn't even really know why I was still crying, I just couldn't seem to stop. 

He shrugged. “I know, Gerard, but-”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

Frank blinked in surprise and I flinched slightly just as he chuckled. “I mean that I've noticed that you're a very attractive and interesting person and you don't seem to be able to see that for yourself. It wasn't meant as an insult.” 

“Oh.”

“It's okay. Anyway, I'm your husband now. You can share baggage with me, that's what I'm here for.”

“But we've only known each other for less than a week,” I pointed out quietly, finally blinking away the last tear. “I'm not good at sharing or talking, not like you. For you it's like...second nature. For me it's more like endangering myself.”

Frank sighed softly and nodded. “I know what you mean, but I promise I wouldn't do anything that would hurt you if you shared with me. We've got a long metaphorical road ahead, but the quicker you can learn to trust me, the shorter it'll seem.” 

~

Frank unlocked the door and kept a hand on my back as I stepped in, leaning heavily on my cane. “That's it. You okay?”

I gave a tiny nod, looking down at the floor and at Frank's beaten-up cons. “May I go and take a bath?”

“Yeah, of course,” he smiled, hanging his coat up on a peg by the door before kicking off his shoes. “Would you like a kiss first?”

I felt the blush immediately and froze up slightly, completely on the fence. Frank leaned in and kissed my cheek anyway. “Need a hand up the stairs?”

“I'll be okay..”

I shuffled off fairly quickly, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. Frank's lips were soft and warm, and had barely brushed my cheek, but I couldn't get rid of the feel of them on my skin. 

I hurried into the bedroom, as much as I could hurry, and started getting out some lounge clothes for the afternoon. My phone rang suddenly and I picked it up quickly. 

“Hey, Geebear.”

“Hi, Mikes, can I call you back? I'm about to run a bath, I'll be ten minutes.”

“Sure, no problem.”

Mikey hung up and I slipped into the bathroom next door with the fresh clothes, turning the taps on in the bath. 

After I'd undressed and lowered myself into the hot water, I called Mikey back, humming softly as I waited for him to pick up. 

“Hi.”

“Hey, how are you?”

I sighed quietly and shrugged to myself. “I met some of Frank's friends today.”

“Seriously? That's a huge step, Gerard. That's really great.”

“Not really. I had a huge freak out cause one of them is an alpha and I'm still in heat. Frank got all worried and he took me into the bathroom to ask me what was going on, but I couldn't tell him.”

“Why not?”

“Because I can't, Mikey. He'd stop liking me, and I don't wanna get rejected again. Not by my damn husband.”

Mikey hesitated. “So you do like this guy..”

I heaved a loud sigh. “Yeah. He's very nice to me and he's…in control. Like, of his alpha. He came in when I started my heat and I was dying, it hurt so bad, and he just hugged me and told me it was gonna be okay. I could tell what he wanted, it was obvious in his eyes, but he didn't take it. And he didn't wanna take it.”

Mikey hummed softly and I could hear the tv in the background. “That's great, Geebear. What happened with his friends, though? Flash backs?”

“A little. Like I said, his alpha friend was really into it, he kept staring at me and then Frank kinda nudged me to read the menu and I dunno. I guess that was hard cause...well, you know. It was triggering, getting told what to do in front of his friends. He took me home, though, and he wasn't even angry with me. We just got back when you called me, and he let me go up for a bath.”

Mikey started to say something when I heard a knock on the door. 

“Yes?”

“What do you want for dinner?” Frank called out softly. “I can do spaghetti and meatballs or chickpea curry.”

“Meatballs sounds nice,” I answered, a little quieter than he had been.”

“Okay beautiful.”

I sighed and shook my head slightly as Frank walked off. “Sorry Mikey.” 

“It's alright, Gee. I'm sorry about that lunch today, I know that must have been really scary for you. But I get to see you tomorrow, right? It's gonna be good, I promise. And I'll get to meet him, yeah?”

“Yeah, he's excited to meet you, I think. He's taking a real interest in me..”

“That's probably because he wants to get to know you better. Try to relax with him, Gerard. It really doesn't sound like he means to hurt you in any way.”

“But he  _ touches  _ me all the time. My hair, my side, my shoulder..”

“You're a very...touchable person, Gerard,” Mikey chuckled. “Everyone touches you because they want to be close to you...or comfort you. If that's how Frank communicates, you've gotta learn the language, Gee. I know why you don't like it and all, but this goes under the category of relaxing with him. Learn to touch him. It's nice, really. You know I hated being touched until I met Pete and started to get used to him.”

“I'm not there yet, Mikes. I'm trying, but I'm not.”

“As long as you're trying,” he hummed softly. “Look, Geebear, I gotta go, but I'll see you tomorrow, yeah? Love ya.”

“Love you too, Mikes.” 

I hung up and slipped further down into the water with a loud sigh. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a little short...I wanted to give you guys a bit of a Gee's POV taster. I'm going to keep to Frank for most of this story though, I think. At least for what I have planned so far


	4. Chapter 4

**F**

Gerard walked down the steps unsteadily, tripping over the last one. I darted forward and caught him by his waist carefully, my face suddenly level with and inches away from his neck. My jeans tightened a little as I smelled that sweet, enticing scent. 

I jerked myself away quickly, groaning internally. Gerard had a long heat, and it was still clinging to him, which was torture for my alpha. I'd been having some pretty graphic dreams about the poor man, and it was fairly embarrassing. I had known I'd have to deal with this, but I really hadn't expected it so soon. 

“Come on,” I said, more to myself than him. Gerard gently grabbed onto my shoulder, the tips of his fingers digging into me as I carefully slipped an arm around his waist. I helped him out to the car, trying not to notice how much more he was leaning on me than last time. He collapsed into the passenger seat and I helped him get his legs in carefully. He winced and glanced at me with intense embarrassment written all over his expression. I leaned in and kissed his forehead softly. “It's alright, Gerard. Is it just a bit stiff?”

He gave a tiny nod. “Think so.”

“Alright. As long as you're okay, Gerard.”

I shut the door carefully and got in behind the wheel, reaching back into the backseat. I grabbed the pillow and blanket, handing them to Gerard with a quick smile. “There. Try and get some more rest, yeah? I can put the radio on if you like..”

Gerard glanced at me worriedly, carefully unfolding the blanket. “Are you sure? I mean..”

“Yeah, I've got google maps, I don't really need help navigating. I'd rather you were feeling refreshed and comfortable, anyway. Uh...there's a bar under the seat, if you pull it up you can slide your chair back a bit. It doesn't recline because my car is old and shitty, but it gives you more room with your leg.”

He nodded slowly, doing as I'd suggested and quickly settling down with the pillow. I flicked the radio on, turning the volume down a little and changing away from the punk station to a more acceptable soft rock one. Gerard didn't seem to notice or care, shifting with his eyes closed. I sighed softly and started towards the highway. 

~

I parked the car and glanced at Gerard. He'd been fast asleep the whole journey, snoring very softly. I hated the idea of waking him, but we were already late thanks to shitty traffic.

“Gerard?”

He woke with a start, glancing around frantically for a couple seconds before relaxing and smiling at me a little sheepishly. I smiled back, pointing to the restaurant in front of us. “Is this the right place?”

Gerard nodded and unbuckled his seatbelt, starting to fold up the blanket. I shook my head slightly. “Don't worry about it, hon, just shove it in the back.” 

I unbuckled my own seatbelt and got out of the car, going around to Gerard's side. I took his cane out of the backseat and opened his door for him, carefully helping him onto his feet. He winced and stumbled a little, but I caught him easily, smiling slightly as he fell against my chest. 

I heard running footsteps and suddenly Gerard was whisked away from me and into a tight hug. The man chuckled as Gerard hugged back just as tightly, sighing happily. 

“Missed you, Geebear..”

I carefully shut the car door, keeping an eye on the two men as they broke apart. Mikey kept a hand on Gerard's shoulder and looked over at me. 

“You must be Frank,” he grinned, offering me his hand. “I've heard a lot about you..”

I smiled brightly and shook his hand warmly. “Same to you. Mikey, right?”

“Yep. You alright, Gerard?” He asked suddenly. Gerard was leaning against his chest, his eyes closed. He nodded slightly. 

“He slept all the way here,” I commented quietly. “Are you sleepy, Gerard?”

He shrugged and Mikey sighed, rubbing his brother’s shoulder slowly. “Let's get you sat down, I have some ibuprofen you can take.”

“I thought he-”

Mikey smiled at me. “He can take ibuprofen as well, just a limited amount. I can give you a sheet from his doctor if you like, it's complicated.”

“Uh yeah, that would be great..”

I felt a little lost as we walked inside, as Mikey kept his arm around Gerard's waist. I had just been getting used to having Gerard's weight against me. 

Mikey led us over to a table in the corner, rubbing Gerard's back very lightly as he shifted away from him slightly. Another man stood up, grinning as he stalked over. He wasn't a lot taller than me, but carried himself a little differently, his shoulders more square and more confidence in his walk. He stepped up to Gerard and kissed his cheek. I almost growled, but swallowed it quickly. 

_ He's Mikey's alpha, he's not- _

My thoughts scattered as he leaned in and sniffed Gerard's neck. Gerard let out a soft noise and rolled his head back, clearly submitting to him. I stared, horrified as the other man grabbed his own junk and glanced Gerard up and down one more time before going back to his seat. I grabbed Gerard's arm a little more harshly than I'd meant, and winced. 

“Come sit down?” I said gently. I could feel the other alpha’s eyes on me and it made me bristle. 

Gerard nodded a little shakily, looking at me with wide eyes. His hands were shaking. I stroked down his back quickly. “Shh. It's okay, Gerard. Whatever's scaring you, I'm here.”

I helped Gerard sit down, very definitely pulling out the seat across from Mikey. 

“Oh,” Mikey said suddenly, his voice a little flat. “I forgot to introduce you. Pete, this is Gerard's husband Frank. Frank, this is Pete, he's my alpha.”

_ And a dickshit.  _

I forced myself not to glare at Pete and instead glanced down at the menu, then laid my arm across the back of Gerard's chair, sliding down a little and spreading my legs a bit. Mikey and Gerard had immediately struck up a conversation, and I loved seeing Gerard so relaxed and comfortable, so I did my best to ignore the alpha across from me, instead watching Gerard. He giggled and I grinned to myself. His nose wrinkled slightly as he laughed and it was probably the cutest thing I’d ever seen.

Pete leaned across the table and smirked at me. “You taken that yet?” He purred, jerking his head toward Gerard. “His heat smells so divine..”

I glanced at Gerard, glad to see he was still deep in conversation with his brother. I drew his smell in, down the back of my throat. He did smell amazing, probably the sweetest heat I'd ever come across, but it didn't really stir anything in me. Not after seeing him in so much pain. 

I shook my head slowly, not really looking at Pete. “I'm waiting until Gerard feels comfortable and enjoys my company enough to want it.”

He nodded slightly and sneered a bit. I ignored it, brushing my thumb over Gerard's shoulder lightly. To my gratification, he didn't flinch this time, and I smiled to myself slightly. 

“So what do you do for a living?” 

I focused my attention back on Pete and sighed. “I'm a high school music teacher. I do some work with some of the kids with learning disabilities as well.”

Pete leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. “Isn't that a beta job? Teaching?”

I shrugged. “I enjoy it, and there are quite a few alphas that teach at my school.”

“Yes, but-”

Gerard leaned over, resting his head on my shoulder. I automatically wrapped my arm around him, leaning my head on his and glancing up. Mikey grinned, holding up his phone and quickly taking a picture. “Nice. You guys make a really cute couple, y'know.”

Gerard blushed and carefully pulled away, looking down at the table. I rubbed his shoulder lightly, smiling to myself as Mikey started up their conversation again. 

Pete leaned across the table. “So have you ever taken an omega in heat?”

I sighed quietly and shook my head. “I don't do that, I think their heats are painful enough.”

Pete frowned deeply. “But what if you wanted a kid?”

“I don't, not really,” I answered smoothly. “But actually the most fertile time for omegas is directly after their heat has finished. It's like you feel the scent start to fade and it comes back again in this huge wave that only lasts a day. That's when they're most ready for conception, and most willing as well.”

I felt Gerard tense next to me and looked up into terror-filled eyes. 

“But I'm not looking to have a baby any time soon,” I said slowly and pointedly before looking back at Pete. “Besides, Gerard and I have a long way to go before we’re ready for anything like that. I'm going for hugs first.”

Mikey chuckled softly and Gerard relaxed again, turning back to his younger brother as I rubbed his shoulder slowly. 

“So what do you do for fun if you don't fuck?”

I blinked and sighed. “I do fuck, just not omegas in heat or Gerard. Anyway, I'm too busy with work to do a whole lot else at the moment.”

Pete rolled his eyes. “Is this just an act for Mikey or are you always this much of a pussy-owning submissive cunt of an alpha?”

The table fell silent and I felt the bubbling of rage in my stomach. I wanted so  _ so _ badly to throw myself at him, to punch that condescending, rude, and downright creepy face until there was nothing left.

I stood up, smoothing my shirt down and kissing Gerard's cheek softly. Both Way brothers had their heads bowed, Gerard shaking slightly. Mikey just looked embarrassed. 

“I hope you guys enjoy your meal, thank you for bringing me along, Gerard..” I stroked his hair slowly, then started to rub in between his shoulderblades. “It was really nice to meet you, Mikey, I hope maybe we can see each other again sometime. Gerard, beautiful, why don't you call me when you're ready to be picked up? I won't go far.”

Gerard nodded slightly and I kissed his cheek one more time, trying not to notice his head tip back as I got a little too close to his throat. I waved to Mikey and turned my back on the table, walking out of the restaurant slowly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your really nice messages! I don't think I've ever had a story that got this popular this quickly :) As usual, any constructive criticisms you might have would be much appreciated.   
> Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

**F**

I parked my car and glanced around, spotting Gerard sitting on a bench outside of the restaurant. I got out of the car and hurried over, frowning when I saw the redness around his eyes. 

“What's wrong, beautiful?” 

I sat down next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. He leaned into me immediately, shaking slightly. “I'm so tired..”

I put a hand on his cheek, swiping away a fresh tear with my thumb. “That's not all of it, though, right?”

He sniffed. “Mikey and Pete got in a big fight a-and it was really s-scary..”

“Oh, sweetie,” I murmured, pulling him a little closer and kissing his forehead. “It's alright. It's over now and I'm here...I guess I shouldn't have left, I just-”

“It's okay. I think I know why you did anyway..”

I sighed quietly and kept stroking my thumb over his cheek as he closed his eyes. “I was losing my temper and I didn't want to hurt Pete, or scare you. I...I care about you, Gerard, and...I didn't want to make it harder for you..”

Gerard nodded slightly, but didn't say anything. I took a deep breath. 

“Why did you submit to him?”

Gerard shivered a little, shifting closer to me. “He scares me. A-and...he's gotten really angry with me for not doing it before. Um..”

“Has he touched you at all?” I asked, forcing the rising rage out of my voice. 

“No...he j-jerked off to me though.”

“What do you mean?”

Gerard swallowed hard. “Before I had problems with my leg, he used to come into my room when I was in heat and just kind of...sit there and jerk off over me. He usually thought I was asleep, but he started to do it when I was awake. He told me he was gonna make me pregnant a bunch of times, and talked about having sex with me a lot, but then I had issues with my leg and he lost interest..”

I growled softly and wrapped my other arm around Gerard. “I'm not letting you see him again alone.”

Gerard nuzzled my neck lightly, then I felt his lips brush against my skin and tensed up, internally screaming with joy. 

“I like it when you get protective, Frank. Makes me feel safe..”

I rubbed his side slowly, smiling at him as soothingly as I could manage. “Good, cause you are. Did you have fun with Mikey, at least?”

Gerard nodded slightly and I ran my fingertips down his spine slowly. “I had a thought...it's the weekend, and one lunch doesn't seem like much time for you with Mikey...maybe we could get a hotel room? Or two, and stay overnight? You could see a little more of Mikey then and maybe some more of your friends.”

Gerard carefully sat up, blinking at me. “R-really? I mean...that would be amazing..”

“Of course, beautiful. Anything you need.” 

~

I walked Gerard into the elevator, pressing the third floor button. “They only had one room, Gerard, I'm sorry. But I think it's got two twin beds.”

He smiled slightly and shrugged. “That's okay. I'll be okay.” 

“We can get the room and look around and then maybe go do something else for a bit? I don't know..”

Gerard winced as the elevator jerked to a stop. “I could do with a rest.” 

I nodded and ran a hand through my hair. “What we could do is you could rest for a while and I could go shopping? Get us some clean clothes for tomorrow and come back here, then we could both do something.”

The doors slid open and I took Gerard's arm again carefully, leading him up to the room door and opening it quickly. I held the door open and he shuffled in, making a beeline for the bed and sitting down quickly. I stepped in and shut the door behind me, then walked over and glanced around. The room was nice, not overly fancy. The two beds were a little bigger than twins, and set apart quite nicely. 

Gerard stood up and slipped his shirt off. I tensed and stared at him intently. He looked up and blushed. My control slipped for a second and suddenly he was lying on his back on the bed, and I was running my tongue up his stomach, purring softly. He stared at me in shock, then tried to wriggle away. I tore myself away from that soft, perfect pale flesh and stood back a bit, rubbing my eyes. 

“Fuck, I'm sorry, Gerard. I didn't mean..” 

He was already scrambling to put his shirt back on, shaking slightly. 

“I'm sorry,” I mumbled again lamely. 

“Don't be, I was...I was teasing you, wasn't I? I didn't mean to either..I’ll have to nap in my clothes.”

I smiled faintly, feeling a bit lightheaded. “Okay, Gerard. Text me your clothing sizes before you go to sleep. I'll be back...later..” I slipped out of the room quickly, swearing under my breath as the door clicked shut behind me.

~

I got a call when I was in the store, from an unknown number. I picked it up anyway, sighing softly to myself. 

“Hello?”

“Frank? It's uh...Mikey.”

“Oh,” I mumbled, rubbing my eyes shakily. “What's...what's up?”

“I wanted to apologize for Pete and-”

“It's alright,” I interrupted quietly. “Really. You seem like a really nice dude and you're Gerard's brother. I'm not gonna stop him from seeing you or anything because of Pete..”

“I know...it's just really embarrassing. I just...never mind. I'm not gonna load you up with my problems. I just wanted to say that neither Gerard or I think that you're...a bad alpha. I think both of us are honestly kind of impressed, and-”

“I'm not that different,” I sighed, sitting down on a nearby bench dejectedly. “I can't...I'm still an alpha. All the urges are still there..”

“But you don't act on them..”

“I just did.”

There was a pause and Mikey came back with a shaky, uncertain voice. “What h-happened to Gerard..?”

I sighed and rubbed my eyes again, leaning forward in my seat. “He took his shirt off and I kinda...I didn't expect it and I pinned him down...I started...licking him..” I sniffed a bit and ran a hand through my hair. “He was so scared...I managed to let go really quickly, but..”

Mikey sighed quietly and I heard a rustling noise in the background. “He'll be fine...it'll knock his trust a bit, but he understands. Don't...don't worry about it, Frank. He's been through a lot worse.”

“He's so..” I trailed off and Mikey hummed in agreement. 

“He's stunning, he's submissive, and his heat is long and intense...he's very desirable. He doesn't see it this way, but sometimes I think that tumor is the best thing that happened to him.”

“How so?”

Mikey chuckled softly, almost humorlessly. “Please don't tell him I said this.”

“Alright.”

“Gerard picks shitty boyfriends. Every time, because all the people who have ever given him attention have been shitty people, who thought that he'd be a nice fuck. All the nice people thought he was snooty or out of their league or whatever, so he got used to mean and rude people. With the tumor, it peeled away a layer of the shitty, shallow people, because they don't want a disabled omega who's in horrible pain every day. They want a nice, low maintenance omega they can fuck into the ground. Gerard is delicate and that...that helps him a little, I think.”

“There are people who would manipulate him through his disability,” I pointed out quietly. 

“Sure, but I think he's smart enough to realize that. I'm glad he married you. No one’s perfect, but you're kind to him. He's...he deserves it, now. He's had his fair share of shit and he deserves someone to curl up with at night.”

I smiled to myself and ran a hand through my hair again. “If he ever wants to get that close to me.”

“Trust me, once Gerard feels comfortable cuddling with you, you'll never be able to get him off,” Mikey laughed softly. “You'll be fighting him off all the time.”

I chuckled and shook my head slightly. “Look, Mikey. I uh...after lunch, I had a chat to Gerard and we got a hotel room to stay overnight...I dunno if you're around, but I think he wanted to hang out again. He's um. Resting right now, but I thought we'd go out for dinner if you wanted to join..”

“I promised I'd stay in with Pete tonight, but we could do breakfast tomorrow for sure. I'd like to be able to talk to you some more as well...considering you're my new brother in law.”

“Well, that would be great. I guess you have my number now, so just text me and let me know, okay?”

“Yep. Thanks for looking after Gee so well. I think you guys are gonna have a great relationship one day.” 

“Thanks. I hope so,” I smiled to myself. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

I hung up and buried my face in my hands, taking a few deep breaths. 

~

Gerard was fast asleep in his bed when I got in, so I crept around him and put the bags down carefully. He shifted suddenly and whimpered. I hurried over but he was still asleep, shaking slightly. “D-David...I don’..”

He cried out and I immediately shook him awake, gathering him up in my arms as he burst into tears. 

“Shh, beautiful. Shhh, it's alright. It's okay. Don't cry, Gerard, it was just a dream. Just a dream, hon. That's it..”

I rubbed his back as he started to calm down, clinging to me gently. “There we go. That's it. Shhhh. I've got you..”

Gerard slowly buried his face in my neck, and I noticed his scent had faded to his normal baseline omega sweetness. “Mm. Frankie,” he mumbled, still half asleep. 

“I'm here,” I soothed, stroking his hair slowly. “You wanna see the clothes I got?”

Gerard nodded slightly and I kissed the side of his head, carefully pulling away and helping him sit up. He yawned shakily, stretching a bit as I grabbed the bags. I handed one of them to him and he pulled out the soft t shirt, smiling slightly. 

“I didn't really know what you liked, so I got mostly plain stuff,” I said softly as Gerard set the dark grey shirt aside. 

“It's okay,” he murmured, rubbing his eyes and sniffling. I sat down on the edge of the bed next to him, resting a hand on his good thigh as he pulled out the tight, light grey jeans. “I hope they'll fit okay..”

“They look nice,” he mumbled dutifully. I sighed and stroked my hand up and down slightly. 

“Did you get any real rest at all?”

Gerard looked up at me, sniffling a bit. Most of the fear had gone from his looks now, but this one was filled with hopelessness. “No..”

I smiled sadly and brushed my fingers through his hair. “Okay. I thought maybe we could do pizza and movies tonight, I know we've done it before, but I thought it would be relaxing. It's almost six already..”

Gerard nodded apathetically and I sighed, nudging the bag. He yawned before pulling out the packet of boxer briefs. 

“Are they the right ones?”

“Yes, thank you,” Gerard answered in monotone. 

“You don't have to say that if it’s not true, and I know you're grateful,” I murmured, running a hand down his back. 

“They look right,” he insisted a little more enthusiastically, reaching into the bag again and pulling out the packet of socks with cats on them. He managed a small smile, rubbing the fabric between his fingers. “I like these.”

“I thought you might,” I grinned, getting up and grabbing the other bag. “I got you one more thing, and you might hate it, so if you do, let me know. I won't be offended..”

I tugged out the blue leather jacket with red and white detailing, handing it over to Gerard. He stared at it for a few seconds, eyes wide. He turned it over and blinked slowly. “Holy shit. It's...it's really cool, Frank. Thank you so much..”

I grinned and sat down again, wrapping an arm around his shoulders slowly, so he could push me away if he wanted. “You're very welcome. I think you'll look really good in it, beautiful.”

Gerard smiled up at me, leaning against me slightly. “Why do you call me that?”

I cleared my throat, looking down a bit. “Um. Well, because I think you are beautiful, and because I'm not so sure that you know you are. I worry about you sometimes.”

“You've only known me a week.”

“And I've enjoyed this past week quite a lot,” I chuckled softly, brushing his hair behind his ears. “I think you're a very special person, Gerard. I don't want to let you slip away because I don't think I'll ever find another person quite like you.”

He blushed slightly and shifted closer to me, then winced, grabbing at his leg. “F-fuck..”

“Please let me help somehow,” I murmured, pressing a soft kiss to his temple. “Please. I hate seeing you in pain..”

Gerard groaned softly, shivering a little. “I forgot to massage it..”

I cleared the clothes off the bed carefully, rubbing Gerard's back slowly. “Tell me how I can help..”

“Is there lotion anywhere?”

I checked through the complimentary hotel toiletries, finding a small sachet of hand lotion. “Yeah, I've got some..” 

Gerard sighed and leaned his head back, gesturing for me to come over. “I think I need help, I can't get my jeans off..”

I nodded and brushed my hand over his cheek. “Here. You hold this..” I handed him the sachet. “And the blanket, and I'll take them off under the blanket, alright? Problem solved.”

Gerard nodded, but swallowed hard, his eyes wide. 

“It's alright, beautiful. Try and relax..”

I reached under the blanket, managing to undo his belt and fly before starting to pull the jeans off his hips. I felt my knuckles brush his damaged leg and he twitched a little, but I managed to get his jeans off eventually. I folded them and put them aside, rubbing his shoulder. “There we go. If you want to, you can keep the blanket over your hips and other leg..”

Gerard nodded, shifting so his thigh was sticking out of the blanket. I stared for a couple seconds, shocked. It was basically a huge dent, filled with scar tissue. So much muscle had been taken out it hadn't been able to heal back, leaving what was essentially a hole in Gerard's leg. He sniffed and I looked up at him quickly, flashing him a smile. He grabbed onto the sheets, trembling slightly and avoiding my gaze. 

“Okay. How am I supposed to do this?” I asked softly, opening the lotion sachet. Gerard shrugged with one shoulder. 

“It's just about breaking up the knots. Um. You have to press hard, and it's gonna hurt..”

I sighed and nodded, smoothing some of the lotion over the scar and ignoring the twitch as our skin touched. I put both hands on his thigh underneath the scar, slowly running my thumbs up, pressing heavily into the damaged tissue. Gerard's grip on the sheets tightened and he whined softly, his head tipped back. I winced and kept going slowly, hating myself for causing the poor man so much pain, whether it was necessary or not. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a little short guys. I've written a good chunk beyond this, but I may have to delete the last two chapters I've written and start again cos I think I took things a little too fast :/ bad habits die hard, right?  
> Anyway, hope you liked this chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

**F**

I woke up to pitch blackness, the thick, deep silence interrupted by the crack of thunder. Something shifted next to me and there was a soft whimper in my ear. I rolled over and Gerard grabbed onto me, shivering as the room flashed with lightning and thunder rolled again. 

I wrapped my arms around him sleepily, one hand sliding up into the hair on the back of his head, the other wrapping around his waist as he attempted to burrow under me. 

“Shh, beautiful,” I soothed quietly, my voice a little hoarse from sleep. “It's just a storm. It can't hurt us in here, I promise.”

Another round of lightning and thunder almost sent Gerard into hysterics as he started to sob, clinging onto me with his face pressed into my neck. I rubbed his back slowly, trying to soothe him. 

He didn't seem to be calming down, so I got up, ignoring his unintelligible cries of protest as I drew the blackout curtains across the window. I grabbed my phone from the bedside table and set my sleep playlist running loudly. Gerard seemed to relax somewhat, staring at me wildly. 

“It's okay.”

I got back into bed, gently pulling him close to my chest as he shook and sniffed. “Try and get some sleep, beautiful. Nothing can hurt us in here.”

~

The next morning, Gerard was still curled up against my chest, his face buried in my bare skin. I ran my fingers through his hair and sighed to myself. It had been cute last night, until he'd started to cry. I pulled him closer to me anyway, stroking up and down his side sleepily. He seemed to stir, letting out a soft groan and nuzzling me. 

“Hey, Gerard,” I murmured, brushing my knuckles down his cheek. He jumped away from me suddenly, blinking in shaky confusion. 

“It's alright,” I soothed, reaching out for him worriedly. “Come on. Lay down, hon. There was a storm last night, you came and got into bed with me, remember?”

Gerard's shoulders dropped and I sat up quickly, the covers falling away from my bare chest. His eyes widened and he grabbed at my side, whimpering. I looked down and blinked. There were scratch marks all over my sides from Gerard grabbing at me, some had even bled and stained the covers, and several had scabs. Gerard was trembling now, his breathing ragged and quick. I lifted my head and saw the tears in his eyes. 

“Hey, Gerard. It's alright, beautiful, I promise. It's not hurting me. I'm okay, and so are you. It's alright. Come here..”

I opened my arms and this time Gerard fell into them, burying his face in my neck as he wrapped his shaky arms around my waist. “That's it..” I soothed, hugging him tightly and stroking up and down his back until he stopped shaking. I reached around him and grabbed my phone, keeping a gentle hand on his back. 

“Mikey wants to meet for breakfast and we both need showers, hon. How about you go get yours?”

Gerard pulled away slowly, rubbing his eyes slowly. “Is there a tub?”

I blinked and sighed. “No, I'm sorry, I didn't know..”

“I can't shower, it's dangerous,” Gerard mumbled sheepishly, looking down. I shrugged. “I can wash your hair in the sink if you like.”

Gerard twirled a lock of hair around his finger. “I think it's okay. You should go shower anyway..”

“Alright.”

~

I helped Gerard out of the car, holding his arm carefully. He'd been quiet on the car ride, and I assumed he was still embarrassed after the storm. 

We got a table in the restaurant as we were a little early and I took the seat across from Gerard this time, leaning over and offering him my hand. “If you're embarrassed about last night, you needn't be..I used to be scared of storms, too, especially when they were close..”

Gerard shrugged, staring at the floor to his right. 

“And I know that just because you touched me and cuddled up to me and everything, that that doesn't mean you want me to initiate that kind of contact..”

“I'm just tired.”

“I don't think that's it, is it?” I sighed, but shook my head and leaned back in my seat. “It's okay if you don't want to talk about it, I understand. But I'm here if you change your mind.”

“I know.”

“Geebear!”

Gerard looked up and grinned at his brother, who leaned down to give him a quick hug. Mikey smiled at me and took the seat next to Gerard, whose smile was already fading. 

“You okay, Gee?”

“Tired.”

Mikey blinked, but didn't say anything, rubbing Gerard's shoulder before looking over at me again. “Thanks for doing this, Frank.”

I shrugged and glanced at Gerard worriedly. “It's no problem, I uh...I can tell how much you guys must miss each other.”

Mikey nodded slightly and gently bumped Gerard's shoulder with his own. “I'm in my last year of high school, though. I'm thinking about going to college in Jersey..”

I frowned slightly. “Wow. I uh, I thought you were older.”

“Mhm, a lot of people say that,” Mikey smiled, shaking his head slightly. “I think it's from growing up taking care of this one,” he hummed, looking at Gerard, who was staring at the floor again.

“I'm gonna go pee,” he announced quietly, getting up slowly. Mikey blinked. “D’you need h-”

“No.”

We both watched Gerard walk away unsteadily, leaning on his cane. 

“Fuck,” I muttered to myself and Mikey looked at me. 

“What's going on?”

“I don't know. He had a nightmare when he was napping yesterday, I think, and he woke up with the-”

“Storm! Oh yeah, I remember that. Was he..?”

“Almost had a huge panic attack, I woke up when he got in bed with me. I had to draw the curtains and put music on so we'd actually sleep,” I sighed, shaking my head. “He's been really moody with me all morning, he won't tell me what's wrong. Oh, and I had to massage his leg for him yesterday..”

Mikey pulled a face. “I hate doing that. He's probably just overwhelmed, to be honest. Don't bug him about it. If he wants to tell you, he will.” 

I nodded slightly. “I'm learning that, but it's so hard when I'm worried about him.”

I heard uneven footsteps and looked up at Gerard. He looked shaky again as he sat down, wincing.

“I'm gonna take you to my doctor when we get home,” I said quietly, but firmly. “I wanna make sure you're on the best painkillers, Gerard.”

He shrugged and didn't say anything. Mikey squeezed his shoulder gently. “That would be great, huh?”

Gerard just shrugged and Mikey rolled his eyes. 

“So what do you do for a living, Frank?”

I smiled slightly and leaned back in my chair. “I'm a high school music teacher, but I also work with some of the kids with learning difficulties and disabilities.”

Gerard was staring at me suddenly.

“What kind of disabilities?” Mikey asked, running a hand through his dirty blond hair. 

“Oh uh...dyslexia, I have a deaf kid I work with, and a kid with Down syndrome. I only have three at the moment,” I hummed. “But I do a lot of work with the counselors and other staff at my school as well, as in tutoring kids who fall behind due to troubles at home or mental illness. Stuff like that. Oh, and I helped the sex ed teachers work on a new module for alphas on controlling urges and consent..”

Mikey blinked. “You're a busy man, then..”

I smiled to myself and shrugged. “Until Gerard, I didn't have anything else in my life besides work. Helping kids makes me happy, so..”

He grinned and shook his head. “We need someone like you at our school.”

I glanced at Gerard, who quickly looked down at the table. “Uh..”

The waitress walked over suddenly and asked us if we were ready. Mikey said no and we all started to look at the menus quickly. 

“So you like working with kids but you don't want them?” Mikey asked once we'd ordered. I shrugged and smiled. 

“I'm just not good with little kids. I have trouble connecting with them and everything. I dunno, I just can't really imagine myself as a father. Not yet, at least.”

Mikey glanced at Gerard and sighed. “I don't think you really want to be a dad either, Gee, right?”

He shrugged. 

Mikey rolled his eyes at me and squeezed Gerard's shoulder. “Come on, big bro. Cheer up a bit, yeah?”

I shifted uncomfortably. “Did you guys want to talk on your own for a bit? I can go somewhere else..”

Mikey smiled at me sadly. “Would you mind? Just for ten minutes..”

I shook my head and got up, kissing Gerard's forehead before walking past him and out of the restaurant. I wandered up and down the block for a while, ignoring the chill in the air and watching people go by. It wasn't a big city, but it seemed to be a busy one, and it was somehow comforting. I couldn't shake the feeling I’d done something wrong. 

My phone buzzed and I answered it quickly. 

“Hey, Frank,” Mikey said softly. “Gerard really isn't feeling good at all, so I canceled our orders, I think we need to take him back to the hotel.”

“What kind of not good?” I asked, hurrying towards the front doors. 

“He just threw up...he doesn't really throw up unless he's really stressed and overwhelmed. He won't really talk to me..”

“Alright.”

I hung up and hurried into the restaurant, making a beeline for the bathroom. I opened the door for the men's and found Gerard slumped over one of the sinks, shaking like a leaf. Mikey was rubbing his back slowly, talking to him softly. 

“Hey Gerard..” I murmured as I stepped up to his other side, pulling his hair back from his face carefully. “Hey beautiful. It's alright. Do you think you can get back to the hotel okay?”

Mikey nodded for him. “Yeah, he's just throwing up bile at this point. Come on, Gee. Let Frankie take you to the car, I'm gonna follow in mine..”

Gerard gagged again, but wiped his mouth and straightened up, wincing shakily. He tried to take a step and fell against me immediately. I hummed soothingly and wrapped an arm around his waist, helping him towards the doors. “You're okay. Whatever's bothering you, me and Mikey will help you with it, alright? You're not on your own, beautiful..” 

~

Gerard collapsed onto his bed and I gently lifted his legs up and onto the mattress before starting to unbuckle his belt. He protested quietly, but I just shook my head. “I wanna get you comfortable. I have a pair of sweats you can have, alright?”

He groaned and tried to roll over, but I pushed him back gently and finally tugged his jeans off. I helped him into the sweats just as my phone buzzed, so I kissed his cheek quickly. 

“I'm gonna go let Mikey in, hon. I'll be right back.”

I ran down the stairs instead of taking the elevator, finding Mikey and dragging him back up to our room. I pushed the door open and sighed in vague relief. Gerard was curled up in his bed, shaking a little, but seeming comfortable enough. Mikey hurried over to him, stroking his hair and talking to him in soft tones. I hung back, feeling a little out of place as I wrung my hands endlessly. Gerard finally looked over at me and I stepped forward haltingly, smiling at him shakily. 

“You okay, beautiful?”

Gerard sniffed and nodded slightly, so I forced myself to walk to him, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Mikey looked at me as I started to rub circles into Gerard's hip. 

“He says he's just a bit..” He waved a hand vaguely. “Upset. After I had a fight with Pete, there was the thing with you, he had a lot of nightmares, and then the massage hurt cause he hasn't been keeping up with it like he  _ should have been, _ ” Mikey shot his brother a Look. “And then the storm, and yeah...he's tired. I think you guys should head for home, he needs to rest..”

I nodded slightly and smiled down at Gerard. “We can do that, yeah? Have a nice long bath?”

Mikey smiled and jerked his head towards the door. “Can I have a word?”

I nodded and slipped out of the room with him, glancing back at Gerard worriedly just before the door clicked shut. Mikey leaned against the wall, sighing quietly. “He's not...he's alright about the thing with you, don't get me wrong. But it's uh...changed his perception of you a little. He thinks now that you want sex from him, and that's why you've been flattering him with calling him beautiful and all that. I know that's not true, but Gerard...he's kinda fucked up in the head. He thinks he's unlovable, and that no one would ever want him for anything other than sex or babies.”

I nodded slightly and rubbed my eyes slowly. “So what're you trying to tell me?”

“Well...he might try and ‘get it over with,’ and try to get you to have sex with him. He’ll probably tell you he wants it and how much he loves you and all kinds of bullshit, because he's trying to learn what you want from him. He can't imagine a world in which someone could be his husband and just want him to...live his life. In his mind, you must want  _ something _ .”

“Does he think he’ll be punished? He's uh...kind of given me that feeling.”

Mikey nodded slowly. “Could be,” he said vaguely. Something in his eyes told me he was being vague on purpose. “I'm just telling you to watch out for odd behavior. He doesn't want to have sex with you, he wants to know what you want from him.”

“Do you think I should try setting some like...fake rules?” I asked quietly. Mikey tilted his head slightly and I went on. “Like maybe give him some chores or something really easy and rules like maybe about communicating well and stuff? I'm not...I'm not in this for a slave, but if it'll make him more comfortable, just for now..”

I trailed off and Mikey shrugged. “I have no idea, Frank. It could work. But Gerard is very...complicated. Be careful what kinds of things you set if you do that. In any case, you have my number now. I mean...try and figure him out on your own, you're clearly smart enough and good enough with people to deal with him, but if you get really stuck, I'm always here. Just do not let him do anything sexual with you. You like him, right?”

“I think so,” I smiled softly, shrugging with one shoulder. “It's only been a week, but he's probably the sweetest person I've ever met.”

Mikey smiled brightly and nodded. “Good. But remember that if he does anything sexual with you before he's ready, he will never be able to fall in love with you. His whole...view of you as a person will change too much..” 

I blinked and bit my lip lightly. “Okay. Would he be okay with me…having sex with anyone else? I mean...it's just been a while, and you know what it's like for alphas.”

Mikey shrugged. “Ask him, but make sure you get his real answer and not the one he thinks you want to hear. I would honestly say probably not, but I'm not an expert on my brother.” 

“You're more of an expert than me,” I sighed, glancing toward the door. “Alright..”

~

Gerard was finally asleep in his own bed, snoring ever so softly. Mikey had been a little emotional when they'd said goodbye, and I could tell it had affected poor Gerard. He hadn't slept much on the journey home, and was now completely exhausted. I tucked him in carefully, then kissed his forehead before walking downstairs slowly. 

I sat down on the couch and just stared at the blank tv screen for a while. I felt less on edge now that Gerard's heat was over. I could actually relax and close my eyes without seeing his pale chest or bare throat, and yet I missed his sweet scent lingering in every room. 

I eventually turned the tv on and settled back with some work, starting to plan some more lessons. 

 

I jumped when I heard the light thud of Gerard's cane behind me. 

“Hey,” I murmured, twisting to face him. “You alright?”

Gerard limped around and threw himself down next to me, avoiding my gaze and question.

“What do you want from me, Frank?”

I blinked, taking a deep breath. “Nothing, Gerard. I want you to be happy. That's it. I swear there's nothing on my agenda other than to try to make you happy..”

I smiled at him and reached out to stroke his cheek, but he batted my hand away lightly. 

“Do you want to fuck me?”

“No. Not yet, at least,” I answered calmly. 

“Do you want me to suck you off?”

“Nope.”

Gerard glared at me. “Do you want me to have sex with your friends so you can watch?”

“Nope. Definitely not. I'm not big on sharing.” 

He deflated a little, looking away sharply. I started to rub his upper arm slowly. “Gerard, I know it's hard for you to understand, but I really don't have anything I want you to do. Well..”

I gently wrapped my fingers around his jaw, turning his head to face me. “I am starting to have feelings for you, Gerard. This week and a bit has been a roller coaster, but you've been so sweet..I guess if there's anything I want from you...I’d want you to fall in love with me. But genuinely, not just pretending in order to please me. You don't have to please me, I'm not going to punish you or get angry with you, I'm not like that. I promise..”

Gerard sniffed and jerked his jaw out of my grip, turning his head away again to glare at the floor. I moved my hand back down to rub his shoulder. 

I waited patiently while Gerard thought long and hard about what I'd said. After about five minutes, I got up, stroking his hair. “I'm gonna go make some hot chocolate, come find me if you need me, alright?”

I slipped out of the room, sighing to myself and rubbing my eyes. I grabbed a saucepan and poured in some milk, turning the stove on carefully. I was just opening the cupboard when I heard footsteps. I calmly took the chocolate powder down and placed it on the counter, then turned to face Gerard. 

His eyes were red and his hands were shaking as a lone tear spilled down his cheek. He dropped his cane suddenly and I heard it hit the floor with a crack as he flung his arms around me, burying his face in my neck and starting to cry very softly and delicately.

I hugged him back quickly, but leaned over and turned the stove off before starting to stroke his hair. “Oh Gerard. It's alright, beautiful. No need to cry..” 

I started to rub his back slowly, rocking him slightly. “Come on, how about we go sit down?” 

Gerard was leaning on me heavily, his knee trembling under him, so I carefully pulled away, keeping one arm around him as I dried his cheeks gently. “You look like you're about to collapse, Gerard..”

He laughed through his tears, stumbling forward before falling against me. I squealed as I lost my balance, landing on the floor heavily with Gerard on top of me. He rolled off, giggling uncontrollably as he just laid on his side, more tears running down his cheeks slowly. I chuckled and turned onto my side, reaching out to rub his shoulder. “You okay, hon?”

Gerard nodded slightly, sniffling a bit as he stopped laughing and closed his eyes. I scooted closer to him, brushing the backs of my fingers over his cheek. “Hm. I think we're gonna have to stay here a while cause I'm too tired to lift you up.”

Gerard snorted and shifted, then whined softly. “I think I need more ibuprofen.”

“Okay, beautiful,” I murmured, sitting up and wincing. “I think I bruised my hip.”

Gerard buried his face in his hands shakily. “I'm sorry, I'm such an id-”

“Shh, no, it's alright. It was kinda funny really. How about you stay here, I'm gonna go get you some ibuprofen and get you up when it kicks in. Sound good?” 

He nodded slightly and I hurried off, grabbing ibuprofen from the bathroom and filling up a glass of water. I set them down on the counter and knelt down next to Gerard, stroking his hair back from his sweet, round, pained face. “Oh beautiful..”

He sniffed, staring at me sadly as I put my hands under his arms, lifting him up as carefully as possible and helping him sit up against the wall. 

“There we go..”

Gerard tried to grab onto me gently, whimpering softly. “I've got you, hon. I know, I know..”

I grabbed the pill and glass, helping Gerard take the pill and wincing as his head lolled back. “I c-can't take it, Frankie..”

I sighed and shifted closer to him, cradling his head in my hands. “I'm so sorry, Gerard. Focus on me, beautiful. Look at me. I've got you. Take a deep breath, yeah? You can get through this..”

I smiled shakily as his soft hazel eyes focused on me uncertainly. “That's it. You want a hug?”

Gerard managed a tiny nod and I wrapped my arms around him tightly, rubbing his back slowly as he let out a deep breath. “I've got you, Gerard. It's okay..”

He started to lean into me and I shifted my weight to sit more comfortably, holding him as he clung to me loosely, slowly beginning to calm down. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Gee... I like writing protective Mikey tho :)   
> There's some drama in the next one and I'm a couple chapters ahead in what I've written, and I actually finished the first real sex scene today, so I hope you guys are as excited as I am to see their relationship progress <3  
> Anyway, enjoy!


	7. Chapter 7

**F**

Gerard was curled up on the bed, his head in my lap. After his collapse, I'd managed to get him up and into his bed, and I'd put the tv on for him for a while. He'd been in a sort of pain fog, drifting in and out of consciousness and mumbling a lot. Now he was much more peaceful, half asleep and letting out soft comfy noises every now and then. I ran my fingers through his hair over and over, basking contentedly in his warmth and the heaviness of his head against my legs. 

“Frankie..”

“Mm?” I leaned over a little, smiling at Gerard, who still looked a bit out of it. 

“Thank you. For saying all those things earlier.”

I gently dabbed his nose with my finger. “It's alright, beautiful. It's all true, hon.”

He let his eyes slip closed in sheer exhaustion. “Promise me.”

“I promise.”

Gerard went limp against me very slowly, his fingers uncurling slightly and his breath evening out. 

~

Gerard was waiting for me when I got back from work. He had a leaflet on the coffee table in front of him, and looked nervous. 

“Frank..”

I smiled at him as I set my bag down and took off my shoes. “Hey, beautiful. What's going on?”

He sniffed and held the leaflet out to me shakily. “Uh. I found this today, and um. It's a pain clinic.”

I unfolded it, glancing over the headings before tossing it back to him. “Talk to me about it, beautiful. My eyes are tired.”

I unbuttoned my coat slowly, still making sure to smile at my husband. 

“Um. They uh, they do like a uh...a service where they help you with your medication, massaging, and physical therapy as well as psychological coping mechanisms to deal with your pain..” 

I hung my coat on the peg next to my keys and walked over, sitting down next to Gerard and lightly resting a hand on his knee. 

He shot me a worried, shaky glance before looking back down at his hands quickly. 

“Sounds great, Gerard,” I hummed, stroking my thumb back and forth over his joint. “Have you called for a booking?”

Gerard immediately flushed and shook his head. “N-no, I wanted to ask permission first..”

I sighed softly and shrugged, too tired to argue. “Well then you have my permission, yeah? I'm gonna go make a start on dinner, get it over with. How are you feeling today?”

He shrugged, not looking up at me. “Tired. Maybe on about a seven.”

I winced and stroked his hair briefly. “You wanna go lay down, beautiful? It won't be ready for a couple hours yet..” 

“Don't you need help?”

I shook my head and stroked my thumb over his cheek briefly. “No, I'll be fine. I just wanna make sure you're comfy.”

I hurried off, opening the cupboard in the hall and tugging out a blanket and pillow. I jogged back to Gerard and he smiled faintly at me. 

“Let me help you lay down, Gerard..”

He shook his head quickly. “I'm okay, just um...just pass those to me, please.”

I handed them over, frowning slightly. “Are you sure?”

“I'm fine...shoo.”

I rolled my eyes and walked around to the front of the couch, leaning over to hug Gerard loosely. “Let me know if you need anything, okay? We’re going to the doctor in about an hour, right? I’m gonna put dinner in the slow cooker and then we’re gonna go.” 

I pulled back and Gerard smiled at me, but it didn’t reach all the way to his eyes. “Okay, Frank.” 

~

I watched Gerard as he finished the last bite of his dinner and quickly swallowed his pill. 

“May I go take a bath, Frank?”

I smiled and shook my head slightly. “You don't need to ask, hon. Go on, I'll clear up, yeah? You look tired.”

“It's supposed to be stormy again tonight..”

I blinked at him as I stood up, gathering our plates. “Okay?”

He gulped and looked away quickly, his hair half hiding his face from me. “May I spend the night with you..?”

I chuckled softly and stroked his hair as I walked past him. “Of course, hon. My bed’s plenty big enough. Go get that bath..”

My spine tingled a little at the thought of Gerard curling up under my covers, and I smiled to myself as I started loading the dishwasher. His warm presence in my bed always felt right somehow. 

As soon as I'd finished the dishes, I walked into the living room, stretching. I could hear the bath running upstairs, so I threw myself down on the couch and put the tv on, curling up. It had been a long day. 

I was half asleep when a loud thud from upstairs jolted me back into consciousness. There was another, quieter thud. I jumped up and jogged up the stairs, knocking on the bathroom door quickly. 

“Gerard? Are you alright?”

There was a short pause, but I could hear his ragged breathing. 

“Y-yeah...I s-slipped..”

“Fuck...can you get up?”

Gerard sniffed and when he spoke again, his voice was gummy with tears. “N-no...it's wet..”

I rattled the handle and sighed. 

“Let me in, please Gerard. Let me help you.”

“I c-can't reach the door...F-Frankie..”

I took a deep breath and glanced around. “I've got a key somewhere, sit tight.” 

I hurried into my bedroom, yanking my junk drawer open and pawing through all the crap until I finally found the key. I grabbed it and ran back to the bathroom, fiddling with the doorknob until I finally got it unlocked, my hands shaking slightly. 

I flung the door open and Gerard was curled up on his side on the bathroom floor, his face buried in his hands as he shivered. I grabbed a towel and went to my knees next to him, shushing him softly. “It's alright, Gerard. I'm not looking,” I soothed as I gently tried to pull him up. He whimpered as I propped his back up against the tub, tossing the towel over his lap. “It's alright, Gerard..”

He sniffed as I hugged him loosely, slipping my hand into the back of his hair. “Shh. Don't start crying, you'll set me off. You scared me..”

“I'm s-sorry..”

“There's nothing to be sorry for, beautiful..”

I pulled away and smiled at him sadly as he stared at me in blank despair. “I'm s-so cold..”

I reached around and opened the cupboard, grabbing another towel. I started to wrap it around his shoulders and froze. Right there on his hip, in reddish-purple scarring was a perfect bite mark. The kind an alpha would leave on his mate. 

I lifted my eyes slowly to Gerard's and he seemed almost to shut down, his shakes stopping as he just stared back at me in an icy, numb calm. 

“What the fuck is that?”

Gerard flinched, but the brief fear quickly settled back into blankness. “I had an alpha before you.”

My body felt hot, my throat tight. I wanted to kill something, to rip the marked skin off Gerard's hip and burn it, or to just take him then and there, make him mine. 

I slammed my fist into the side of the tub, causing Gerard to whimper and scramble away, the calm descending into terror. I glared at him, my jaw tight. 

“Why the fuck didn't you fucking tell me?” I growled, my voice rising slowly until I was shouting at him. He pressed himself further into the corner, shivering. 

“I w-was s-scared..”

“Do you still call him your alpha?” I snapped, the scorn rising. “He'll never be good enough for you..”

“He never w-was!” Gerard gasped, flinching as I shifted my weight. “He-”

I punched the tub again as hard as I could, cutting him off as he squeaked, pulling his knees to his chest. “Did you fucking mate with him?” I roared, my whole body trembling now. Gerard's face scrunched up and he choked back a sob. 

“N-no..”

I watched the tears roll down his cheeks, everything else suddenly fading away. Pain flared up in my hand and I looked down at my busted knuckles in dazed confusion. “F-fuck..”

I looked up at Gerard and he flinched, ducking his head. I shifted closer to him slowly, my body feeling heavy and weak. I knelt next to him, drawing him into my chest and ignoring him fighting against me. “Shh. It's okay, Gerard. Shh. It's alright. I'm so so sorry...I didn't mean..”

My injured hand trembled on his back as I looked over at the cracked tub. “I'll get it fixed, I...I'm so sorry...oh God...I've f-fucked everything up..”

Gerard suddenly burrowed into me, curling his body against mine as he buried his face in my shoulder. He'd stopped crying now, and just sat there, shivering in my arms. 

I slowly let go, still feeling as if I was moving underwater as I grabbed the towels Gerard had dropped and wrapped them around him carefully. He looked at me gratefully, sniffling. I kissed his forehead as tenderly as I could, pulling him into my arms once more. 

After a while, Gerard uncurled, stretching his leg out awkwardly. I sighed and loosened my grip on him, letting him slip away from me, wincing. I stood up, my knees shaking a bit. 

“I'll go get you clean pajamas...I’ll be back..”

I stumbled into Gerard's bedroom, closing my eyes briefly. The image of Gerard, naked and terrorized and weak popped up in my mind’s eye and my breath hitched. I went over to his drawers, ignoring the pain from my hand as I found him the clothes he needed. I stumbled again on the way out of the bedroom, then took off running to my own bathroom. I fell to my knees in front of the toilet, just in time as I heaved. 

After I'd finally washed my mouth out, I scooped up Gerard's pajamas and walked back to him unsteadily. He looked up at me in a mix of despair, uncertain fear, and pain. I smiled at him as best I could. 

“Sorry,” I whispered, kneeling down next to him. “Sorry.”

Gerard didn't say anything, stroking my hair briefly as I started to pull his boxers on. He didn't object at all, looking away with red cheeks as I tugged the thin fabric over his crotch. It didn't matter now anyway. I wasn't really able to look, even if I'd wanted to, as my eyes were fuzzy and my brain didn't seem to be capable of comprehending anything that was going on. 

I finally got Gerard dressed and heaved him up, steadying him as he stumbled. 

“Go to bed, Gerard..” I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. “You look exhausted.”

“And you're about to faint,” he answered quietly, gently squeezing my shoulder. “Sit down, I'll look at your hand..”

“But-”

“Just sit the fuck down, Frank. I'm not in the mood for arguments.”

I blinked, but did as I was told, sniffling as Gerard pulled the first aid kit out of the cupboard. He leaned against the counter as he opened the kit, keeping weight off his leg. He grabbed a bottle and tipped some of the contents onto a cotton pad, then took my hand a little roughly, dabbing at the split skin. I hissed and tried to jerk my hand back, but Gerard kept a tight grip on my wrist, glaring at me until I stopped. 

He cleaned all the blood away and wrapped my hand and wrist in gauze, leaving my fingers free. “I don't think it's broken. Just bruised, but you should get an X-ray.”

I blinked at him, everything still feeling fuzzy. “Why are you still here?”

Gerard looked at me for a few seconds. “Because my alpha used to hit me. He used to make me have sex with all his friends, he used to tell me what I had to do with every minute of my time. And he had a temper. He used to just randomly flare up, just like you did. It's an alpha thing, sometimes you just can't escape the rage, right? Well, he just used to act normal after. And here you are, stinking of vomit, barely able to stand up, and still trying to take care of me. You clearly don't get angry often and you are clearly a good man. I don't think I'll ever find a better man..”

I sniffed, swaying slightly in my seat on the toilet lid. “They're out there.”

“Not anywhere near me.” 

~

Gerard slept through the storm that night, his whole body pressed to mine. I couldn't sleep, instead just staring at the ceiling or stroking his side. I wanted to know more about his alpha, but I figured that if I tried to ask, the rage might come back. Gerard had been right; I'd never really experienced full alpha rage before. I'd been angry, sure, and scared people because of that anger. But I'd never before gotten to the point where I wasn't in control anymore. 

He stirred against me, letting out a soft noise as he petted my chest lightly. The sun was just starting to come up, and the room was full of dark grey light. 

“Frankie..”

Gerard was staring up at me, his hazel eyes looking a little sinister in the odd light. 

“Mm?”

“Thank you.”

I blinked. 

“For being you. You didn't even think of hitting me, did you?”

I looked away and sighed. “I did think about ripping the mark off you.”

“Because you want me.”

“Yes, I suppose.”

Gerard nuzzled my throat and shifted closer to me slowly. “I want you.”

I sighed and shook my head, running my hand up and down his side slowly. “No, Gerard. I want you, but not yet. You're not...you're not really mine to have yet.” 

“Frank, I-”

“Gerard..”

“Frank, I understand,” Gerard said quickly, slipping an arm around my waist. “I like you, but I don't love you.”

I nodded slightly and he smiled sadly. 

“I want to be in love when I first mate.”

I slipped down a little, resting my forehead on his. “I want to be in love with my omega too. But you don't smell claimed. I...I'm confused.”

Gerard let his eyes slip closed. “My alpha claimed me, but he never consummated it by mating with me. So I never took on his scent.”

“I'm glad..” I murmured, rolling onto my back. “I like you the way you are.”

Gerard chuckled softly and climbed half onto me, his chest against mine as he buried his face in my neck. “Goodnight again, Frank.”

I smiled to myself and wrapped my arms around him, my hands on his back. “Mm. My beautiful Gerard. Sleep well..”

~

Mikey called during my lunchbreak later on. I groaned when I saw his name pop up, but answered anyway. 

“Hi.”

“Hello, brother in law. How's the hand?” 

I sighed and leaned back in my chair. “I didn't touch him.”

“I know, and I'm fairly impressed by that. Even Pete has given me a few black eyes. I want you to know that I told Gerard to tell you ages ago. I didn't think he should be keeping secrets from you, and I think he's realized that part of the blame lays on him. Is he doing okay? I haven't talked to him since early this morning.”

“I'm at work today, Mikes, sorry. You know better than I do.”

“Oh, yeah. Of course. He was okay when I spoke to him, a little shaken up. But he's uh...not answering his phone..”

I sat bolt upright, dropping the pen I’d been fiddling with. “Um, I'll call you back.”

I hung up quickly and dialed Gerard's number, chewing at my lip as it rang. He picked up on the fourth ring and I collapsed back in my chair. 

“Hey, beautiful,” I murmured a little hoarsely. 

“Hi Frankie..everything okay?”

I took a deep breath. “Yeah, yeah. Just...Mikey said you weren't answering your phone. It got me worried..”

Gerard giggled softly. “Mikey isn't good with phones. I was talking to my friend Chris, that was all.” 

“Oh, okay. I'm gonna be a little late home tonight, hon. I'm gonna stop by the hospital on the way back to get my hand looked at and then I'll pick up some takeout. Chinese?”

“Sure.”

“Alright. See you later.”

“Bye, Frank.”

I texted Mikey to let him know I'd talked to Gerard just as the bell rang. 

~

I unlocked the front door and swung it open, kicking my shoes off. “Gerard! Can you come help me? I can't shut the door.”

I heard footsteps and looked up as a very tall man with long black hair walked up to me, smiling slightly. “Let me take that,” he hummed, holding his hands out for the takeout bags. I passed them over, kicking the door shut behind me before taking the keys out. 

The man turned to walk away, but glanced over his shoulder. “I'm not a serial killer or anything, Gerard's taking a nap in the living room. He's not feeling so good again.”

I blinked and opened my mouth to say something, but he was already walking away. I shook my head and sighed, setting my work bag down by the door before heading into the living room. Gerard was indeed curled up on the couch, a blanket pulled up to his chin, but he wasn't asleep. He smiled at me tiredly as I crouched down, noting how pale he looked. 

“Hey, beautiful. Why is there a strange man in my house?” I chuckled, brushing his hair behind his ears. 

“S’my friend Chris. He was worried about me. I tried to call you, but I didn't think you'd mind..”

I shook my head and leaned over, kissing his forehead. “Of course not, just gave me a bit of a shock is all. How are you feeling?”

“Terrible. I tried taking my new pain pills and it just made me throw up, so I took one of my old ones but I took it too soon after the first ones and I threw that up as well..”

“Have you had anything?”

Gerard nodded slightly. “A little ibuprofen, but it hasn't helped much. I'm just trying to stay still.” 

I nodded and started to rub his side slowly. “Probably the best plan, beautiful..”

He smiled at me, reaching out from under the covers to take my right hand. “You got a splint thing..”

I groaned and rolled my eyes. “I know, it's such a pain in the ass..” I tapped the plastic lightly. “I look like an idiot too.”

Gerard giggled and shook his head slightly. “Nah. I like it. Robot Frankie.”

I rolled my eyes again and Gerard started to play with my fingers gently. “So many tattoos. I'm surprised they let you teach.”

I chuckled and shook my head. “I'm not a real teacher anyway, according to most of my colleagues.” 

Gerard pulled a face and I stroked his cheek lightly. “Good news, though, I got painkillers at the hospital that I don't really need, do you wanna try one of them? They said it's ok to take with ibuprofen.”

Gerard held a hand out and I pulled the bottle out of my pocket. He glanced it over and sighed. “It's the same as my old ones, just a lot weaker.”

I brushed my fingers through his hair slowly. “Okay. Maybe you could keep one of them down? It's better than nothing..” 

“Maybe. With dinner.” 

“Good plan.”

Chris walked in suddenly, carrying two plates of takeout, which he set down on the table carefully. “There we go.”

He slipped past me to try and help Gerard up, but something in me tightened and I stood up, nudging him out of the way. I tucked one arm under Gerard's knees and one under his back, lifting him up fairly easily and turning him so he was perpendicular to the couch. I set him down very carefully and he smiled at me sleepily, gently grabbing at my arm. 

Chris was looking at me in a way that suggested he was impressed, but also a little put out. I ignored it, handing Gerard his plate as Chris walked out to get his own plate. I sat down next to my husband, lifting my plate onto my knees and smiling as Gerard leaned his shoulder on mine.

Chris walked in and settled down in the armchair, glancing at me. “It's nice to finally meet you, Frank. I've heard...so much about you.”

I smiled a little nervously. “I think you're in one of the pictures Gerard has, but you looked a little different.”

Gerard closed his eyes as he rested his head on my shoulder. I rubbed his good thigh lightly. “Come on. You gotta eat..”

“Well, Mikey seems to like you, as does Gerard. Pete hates you, which is usually a good sign.”

I chuckled softly and shook my head. “I guess I'm not the only one who's not a fan.”

“I don't think anyone is.” 

“How's Ricky?” Gerard interrupted suddenly, seeming desperate to change the subject. 

Chris beamed and ran a hand through his hair. “Only one month left. He's grumpy as shit, but I think he's excited. He's been sleeping a lot, and eating a lot, but yeah. He's doing good. The due date is still the thirty-first, and I think he's honestly ready just to not be pregnant anymore..”

I smiled slightly, feeling a little fuzzy again. “The thirty-first is my birthday.”

Gerard blinked at me. “Seriously? You didn't tell me..”

“You didn't ask,” I pointed out gently, kissing his temple. Gerard frowned, but didn't say anything. 

Chris nodded. “I think Ricky's probably gonna go into labor before then anyway, he's getting really big.” 

“You have to ring me so I can come visit,” Gerard grinned, leaning into me a little more. 

 

Over the rest of dinner, I got the usual grilling, with Chris asking me all about my job and past life. Gerard ended up falling asleep leaning on my shoulder, so Chris helped me take him up to bed. 

“I'll be up in a bit, Gerard,” I murmured to my husband as he settled into the bed sleepily. “Shout if you need anything. I'm here.” 

He grunted softly and I drew the blanket up further, rubbing his shoulder with my good hand. “Goodnight..”

I got up, walking out of the room quietly. Chris was waiting outside, and followed me down to the living room. 

“Frank..Gerard told me about what happened in the bathroom.”

I sighed, turning to face him. “I-”

“No, I wanted to say that you did well. The first time I ever lost my temper with Ricky, I hit him, and I've never forgiven myself for it. I know how hard it can be, and Gerard does too. I don't know what I'd have done if I'd found out Ricky had had someone else when I was just falling for him. I think I probably would have strangled the other guy.”

I looked down and ran a hand through my hair. “Who was it?”

“David,” Chris said quietly, sitting down on the couch. I sat down in the armchair, rubbing my arm lightly. “He was in our friend group for a long time, but when he started to...develop, I guess, he got weird. He acted like he owned Gerard and would chase away anyone interested in him, he'd tell him what to do all the time, and sometimes he'd just grab him and touch him in front of everyone. We tried to get Gerard to understand that it wasn't okay, but he just kept submitting to him. After Gerard turned nineteen, David claimed him during his heat. He told Gerard to move in with him and none of us really heard much from Gerard for about a year and a half. That's when the tumor came up and the surgery. David threw him out and he turned up at my door looking like hell. We got him the surgery and yeah...David just left him alone after that. Never looked back once.”

I nodded slightly and rubbed my eyes shakily. “O-okay...was he ever...raped by anyone?”

Chris sighed and shrugged slightly. “Depends on how you define rape. David forced him to have sex with other men all the time, and Pete and pretty much every alpha at our school used to feel him up. Gerard...he came over to mine once in the middle of the night looking sick and crying a lot. He wouldn't tell me what was going on, but Ricky helped him into the bath and he said he had some bad bruises and cuts on his sides. That was about a year ago, we still don't know what happened.”

I winced and buried my face in my hands. “I hate hearing about this shit. I just...I wish I'd been there..”

Chris nodded and leaned back on the couch. “I know. I've always wished I'd beat the shit out of David when I had the chance, but I can't go back now. Y'know, this is the happiest I've seen Gerard in...years. I'm really glad I came over, it really puts my mind at rest.”

I smiled sadly and ran a hand through my hair. “I'm doing my best. Not sure it's good enough, but I'm trying.” 

“You'll get there. It just takes time to get to know someone as well as you need to know Gerard.”

I nodded, sighing softly. “I need to get to bed, Chris, it's storm season and Gerard won't get through the night on his own. Are you far away?”

“Oh, we just moved recently, I'm only half an hour from here,” Chris smiled, squeezing my shoulder. “You go take care of him. I need to get back to Ricky anyway.” 

“Good luck with that and all,” I hummed as we both got up and headed to the door. “I know it's probably gonna be a difficult month.”

Chris chuckled and nodded as he tugged his shoes on. “Yeah, we’ll get through it. Ricky's tough. I'll see you another time, Frank. Tell Gerard to call me more often.”

I waved as he walked out of the door, then shut it behind him and slid the lock back. I flicked all the downstairs lights off and took the steps two at a time. I cleaned up in Gerard's bathroom, then slipped into my dark bedroom to get changed. I was just swapping my boxers when I heard a soft grunt from the bed. 

“Frankie?”

“Just changing,” I mumbled, quickly slipping the new boxers on and tugging on a pair of sweatpants. “You okay?”

“I'm sore..”

“How bad?”

“I can't sleep.”

I sighed softly and climbed into bed, rubbing Gerard's side slowly as he snuggled up to my chest. “I'm sorry, hon. You want the tv on for a bit? What can I do?”

He kissed the soft skin on my chest and hummed quietly. “Mm. Tv sounds nice.”

“I can make you a hot milk if you want..”

Gerard gently grabbed onto my waist. “No...no, stay here..”

“Alright.”

I reached for the tv remote, flicking the dim lighting around the tops of the bedroom walls on before turning the screen on. Gerard pressed himself closer to me and I heard the rumble of thunder just as the sound kicked in on the TV set. Gerard didn't seem to notice, purring as he held onto me. 

“You're so cuddly, Frankie..”

“Am I?” I chuckled, stroking his hair back from his face. “Really?”

“Mhm...not too much muscle.”

“Ah, thanks. I get it,” I said sarcastically and he giggled. 

“No, I didn't mean it like that. Men with like six packs and shit aren’t so comfy to lay on. You like..you have abs and you're strong, but they're not like ‘ahh! six pack!,’ y’know?”

“No, I have no idea what you're talking about,” I grinned, rolling my eyes. “Seems to me like you're just digging a really big hole here.” 

“Mm. Probably.”

There was a short pause as I flicked through the channels, Gerard's hand resting on my chest comfortably. 

“Did you like Chris?”

I blinked, then shrugged slightly, careful not to jostle Gerard too much. “He seemed nice. I didn't really spend much time with him..”

Gerard nodded and nuzzled my jaw sleepily, hugging me loosely. “Okay..”

“Gerard? Chris told me about David..”

He shivered and dug his short nails into my back lightly. “I don't really wanna talk about it.”

I hesitated, then sighed. “Okay. What about Pete?”

“I don't wanna talk about depressing stuff, I wanna have a nice cuddle.”

“Okay.”

I laid there for a while, holding Gerard and watching some shitty late night cartoon show. Gerard was dozing a little, clearly enjoying being close to me when thunder rolled again, much louder this time. He jolted awake, but I turned the tv up quickly. 

“Was that thunder?”

“No, go back to sleep.”

Gerard sighed and pushed himself closer to me, his damaged leg pressing against mine. I could feel the scarring through our thin pajamas, and it made me shiver a little. 

“You cold, Frank?”

“No, I'm fine, beautiful. Go back to sleep, really. Everything's fine, and you need rest.”

“I'm trying.”

“Good. Now shush..”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there's your drama for today!   
> I honestly don't have much else to say and its half ten at night and I'm exhausted. Have a good night or day or whatever! <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this okay! Sorry it's a little late tonight <3  
> As always, please let me know what you liked/disliked about this chapter, it's super helpful for me to know!  
> Thanks

**F**

Gerard had been in the consulting room for almost an hour. I stared at the glass wall opposite me, overtaken by boredom. I'd thumbed through all of the magazines in the place, but none of them had interested me. I looked down at my arms, rubbing over my sleeve. I had been thinking about another tattoo for a long time, I just still couldn't figure out what I wanted. Maybe Gerard and I could get little matching ones. Something normal, like a diamond, something that didn't always have to mean something. 

I was just pondering this when the consulting room door swung open and the nurse stepped out. “Mr. Iero, could we have your help? Gerard needs to have bloodwork done..”

I stood up, slightly confused. “What do you need my help for?” I asked, starting to walk over. The nurse frowned briefly. 

“He's terrified of needles.”

“Oh.” 

I slipped into the room and found Gerard with his head in his hands and his knees drawn up to his chest as he sat in the chair. The doctor looked worried, and had removed the needle from the scene. I swallowed hard and leaned down, very gently pulling Gerard's hands away from his face. “Hey, beautiful. Hey. It's okay..”

I dried his cheeks with my hoodie sleeve, then cupped his face in my hands. “Look at me, hon. I'd never let them do anything to you that I thought would really truly hurt you. This is just a little prick, yeah? Just a tiny pinch and it's over. Promise. Can you be brave for me, Gerard? You were so brave with the storm the other night..”

He glared at me. “You told me that wasn't thunder!”

I chuckled and nodded. “Mhm. I did, and that's what we call a white lie. What if I told you you weren't getting blood taken, would that help?”

Gerard cracked a small smile. “No.”

“Damn. There goes that plan.”

He giggled softly and I kissed his forehead. “How can I help, Gerard? You want a cuddle? You want me to do it? What would help?”

He sniffed and took a deep breath. “A cuddle.”

“Alright..”

I helped him up and moved him around to sit on the bench, sitting down next to him and wrapping my arms around him tightly. I kept his head turned away as the nurse walked over, and shushed him softly when I felt him tense. He suddenly jerked and I squeezed him gently. 

“Shh, beautiful. It's alright. I've got you, Gerard. It’s gonna help you make this other pain go away, yeah? It's alright..”

I felt him relax against me as the needle was taken out and the nurse stuck a bandaid over the inside of his elbow. “All done, Gerard, well done,” she hummed. “I'm gonna take you to see the physical therapist. Mr. Iero, could you go back to the waiting room, please.”

Gerard hugged me tightly and I carefully broke away. “Alright. See you in a little while, Gerard.”

He blew me a kiss, looking a little pale and drained. I smiled and kissed his forehead again before hurrying out. 

 

I looked up about ten minutes later as Gerard was walked out by the nurse. He offered me a shaky smile and I waved, grinning at him as he limped down the hallway slowly. The nurse took him into another room and I sighed as the door swung shut behind them. I felt useless, and my subject of thought had been dismantled. If Gerard was that scared of needles, he'd never want a matching tattoo. I rubbed my eyes and picked up my phone, going through my lesson plans for the week slowly. I wanted a tattoo to remember our so-called wedding by, but just the date seemed superficial and meaningless. I gave up on the tattoo idea for a while and instead took my iPad out of my bag, starting to get on with some more work. 

 

Gerard stumbled a little, leaning on his cane as he stood by me. “Hey..”

“Hey, beautiful,” I murmured, packing my things away and standing up next to him. The nurse hurried over, smiling at us. 

“So, Gerard, we’ll call you when your bloodwork is in, we’ll know more then. For now work on your physical therapy exercises, and we’ll see you next week.”

I took Gerard's arm as she hurried off. “You ready to go home, hon?”

Gerard smiled and nodded, leaning on me a little shakily as he stepped forward. “I'm not so steady..I think it helped, I just..”

He stumbled again and I wrapped an arm around his waist quickly. “It's just a bit sore.”

“Alright. Let's get you home and resting for a while. It seems like they worked you hard.”

Gerard nodded again, letting me open the door for him and clinging to the handrail tightly as he went down the few small steps carefully. I stayed behind him, one hand on his side the whole way. 

When we finally got to the car, I helped him in and kissed his cheek before shutting the door for him and getting in.

“The doctor says that she thinks that physical therapy could build back a lot of the tissue I lost over time, but I might have to have another surgery to replace all the scarred tissue, cause the skin won't stretch to allow more muscle to build up..”

“When do you need that done?” I asked quickly, offering him my hand as I pulled out of the parking lot. 

Gerard glanced at me in surprise, taking my hand carefully. “Well, I don't have to have it done..”

“But it would make you more comfortable, right?”

I smiled at him as I stopped the car at a red light. “If it'll make you happier and reduce your pain, then I really think you should.”

Gerard grimaced and looked away. “It's expensive, and I don't...I can’t..”

“I can, beautiful. Don't worry about it, I'll pay for it. You need it, and I'm your husband..”

He ducked his head and sniffed quietly. “I can't let you-” 

“You don't have to let me do anything. I'm gonna make some phone calls as soon as we get home, yeah? I wanna get it done.”

Gerard gulped. “Thank you, Frank, I'll...I’ll try to pay you back..”

“No need. What's mine is yours, that's marriage.”

He smiled slightly and I let go of his hand to stroke his hair instead. “Cheer up a bit, hon. You've had some really good news, yeah? You might be able to get your muscle back! That's amazing..”

Gerard's cheeks started to heat up as he shot me a shy smile. “Yeah..”

I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I'm so happy for you, beautiful.”

~~~

I held Gerard's hand tightly as the nurse counted him down from ten. He looked a little scared, but it all faded away quickly as he dropped off to sleep. I was gently herded out of the room and went to sit in the waiting room. Mikey smiled at me as I sat down next to him. “Is he okay?”

I nodded slightly. “I think he's a little scared, but he went out fine.”

“Good. How long is it?” 

“A couple hours I think. Did you want me to get you a coffee or something?” 

“No, I'm okay. Thanks, though. How's he been generally?”

I leaned back in my chair slowly, running a hand through my hair. “Well, he was really happy after we left the clinic last week, and we cuddled on the sofa for a while which was nice. He's been sleeping better, and I think he's gotten used to sleeping in my bed, he doesn't really sleep in his anymore, just for naps.” 

“Cool, so he's settling down a little more?”

“Yeah,” I grinned, cracking my knuckles. “And he's stopped taking the piss out of my busted hand now,” I added, wriggling my fingers that were now free of the plastic splint. “How's Pete?”

Mikey smiled vaguely. “He's good. He's talking about me moving in with him, I don't think he remembers that I want to come here for university. I love him, but sometimes he doesn't listen very well.”

I nodded slightly and sighed. “Y’know, you're a sweet kid and handsome too. You could land a much better man than Pete.”

Mikey shrugged. “I love him,” he said simply. I sighed and gave up. 

~

Gerard looked pale and tired when we walked in. He was laid out in the bed, the blankets pulled up over his chest. I hurried over to him, stroking his cheek slowly and grabbing at his hand gently. He managed a small smile and squeezed my hand lightly. 

“Hi Frankie..”

Mikey went to the other side of the bed, rubbing Gerard's forearm slowly. “You feeling okay?”

“A bit numb and groggy,” he mumbled quietly. I sat down on the edge of the bed carefully, rubbing my thumb over his knuckles soothingly. Mikey smiled and stroked his brother’s hair out of his face. “It's a big step towards getting you better, Gee. Right?”

Gerard nodded slightly as his eyes started to close up again. I chuckled softly. “I think he needs some rest. You're still coming home with us, right Mikey? To take care of him while I'm at work?”

Mikey nodded quickly and grinned at me. “Yep. I'm super excited to see your place, and Gerard’ll be happy to have me around.” 

“Yeah, he will. Thanks, Mikey.”

~~~

A couple weeks later, I peeled back the bandages on Gerard's thighs, smiling slightly. “These look much better, huh?”

He grinned and touched the skin lightly. “Mhm. My bad leg seems to be healing better.”

“Yeah, I think the patch they took the skin from always takes longer to heal. I think this one is ready to be left unbandaged for a while, yeah?”

I rebandaged his other thigh, then helped him with his pajama trousers, rubbing his shin gently before standing up. “There we go. All ready for the day, huh?”

I put my arm through Gerard's, helping him stand up and steadying him carefully. “That's it.”

He smiled and leaned into me, kissing my jaw quickly. “Happy birthday, Frankie..”

I chuckled and shook my head. “I don't like my birthday much, but thanks beautiful.”

I walked Gerard downstairs, then into the living room. Just as we walked in the doors, I heard a shout of ‘surprise!’ from behind me and whipped around. Mikey threw a bundle of streamers at me and I rolled my eyes. Standing around with him were Brendon, Patrick, Ray, Bob, Chris, and another guy I didn't recognize, but quickly figured to be Ricky by the way he was clinging to Chris. 

Gerard grinned at me and I nuzzled his cheek gently. “Thanks, beautiful..”

“It was Mikey's idea, but I organized stuff. Come on, there's breakfast..”

Mikey hurried over and gently took Gerard's arm, jerking his head towards the people. “Go say hi, Frank, I've got Gerard..”

I nodded and hurried to the group, pulling Ray into a hug first. “Missed you guys! Did you have a good trip?” I tugged Bob closer to me and kissed his cheek. He chuckled and slapped the back of my head gently. “Yeah, it was great. We uh...have some news for you, though. When you've got a minute.”

“Am I going to like this news?”

“Not sure,” Ray said quietly. “But it's personal, so maybe later.” 

I nodded and moved along, smiling at Brendon slightly. “Stay away from my husband,” I growled half-jokingly. Brendon just grinned. Patrick grabbed me and jerked me into a hug, burying his face in my neck. “Frankie!”

I rolled my eyes at Brendon, but hugged Pat tightly, rubbing his back slowly. “Thanks for coming, Pat.”

I moved along and shook Chris's hand warmly. “It's nice to see you again. And that's Ricky?” I asked, gesturing to the now empty spot next to the tall man. Chris chuckled softly. “Yeah, sorry. He went to the bathroom, he's still recovering from the pregnancy, it's gonna take a while.”

I nodded and smiled at him. “If you guys need to leave early or anything like that, don't worry about it, yeah?”

Chris nodded slightly. “I think we’re just gonna stay for breakfast anyway, Ricky's really paranoid about leaving the baby with a sitter.”

I grinned. “New mums, huh?”

Chris rolled his eyes fondly and looked up as Gerard started trying to herd everyone into the kitchen. 

~

After a delicious breakfast cooked by Gerard, I said goodbye to Chris, Ricky, and Brendon, who had to leave for some kind of work commitment. Mikey, Patrick, and Gerard all sat down together, talking and giggling. I walked back over to Ray and Bob, who were standing around a little awkwardly. 

“So what's this news?”

Ray sighed and leaned back against the wall nearest him. “Bob and I are separating. It's all...amicable and everything, and mutual, so we're gonna try and stay friends. We just don't make each other happy anymore.”

I glanced at Bob and sighed. “That's sad, guys, but I'm glad you're all still okay. Alphas and betas don't always work out, huh?”

Bob shrugged and glanced around. “Not always. Gerard's little friend is cute, y'know..”

I sighed and gestured to Mikey. “He's taken. By an arsehole, but still taken. Besides, he's still in high school, he's Gerard's little brother.”

“Oh. He's still cute.”

“Agreed,” Ray added sagely. “Y’know you should open those presents now, cause I think Gerard wanted us gone by twelve.”

I nodded and walked over to my husband, who appeared to be in charge. I kissed his cheek softly and started to massage his shoulders gently. “What would you like me to do now, oh holy birthday party leader?”

Gerard giggled and grinned up at me. “Weirdo. We have lunch with your parents at one so you should probably get on with presents. You uh...haven't got one from me in the pile, I'm gonna give it to you later.”

“Okay. You didn't have to get me anything, beautiful..”

“But I did. Now go bring those presents in here.”

~

I got a few random bits and pieces from my friends, mostly things for my guitars or that I needed for work. Mikey hadn't got me anything, but he said he'd paid for half of Gerard's present for me, and didn't know what to get me anyway. Once everyone had gone home, Gerard pulled me down to sit with him on the couch. He dragged himself up and managed to scoot onto my lap, giggling softly as he slipped a little. “Sorry..”

I caught him easily, chuckling as I helped him sit properly. “There we go. It's okay.” 

Gerard's smile suddenly became nervous, his hands shaking a little on my chest. He started to unbutton my shirt slowly and I quickly put a hand over his. “Gerard, if this is sexual, I-”

“No, no. I just...like your chest,” he giggled, blushing deeply. I rolled my eyes and ran my fingers through my hair, letting him pull my shirt off my shoulders. “Now me..”

I blinked and sighed, rolling Gerard's tee shirt up slowly and carefully pulling it over his head. He grinned and stretched up, hooking a thumb into the waistband of his sweatpants to pull them down slightly. He twisted to show me where the mark from David had been. My eyes widened and I gasped softly. 

“Holy fuck.”

Spread over the mark was a beautiful tattoo of roses and thorns, completely covering the bite mark. One stem extended over his exquisite pale stomach, finishing in a perfect bloom just before his belly button. Twisted in one area of the stems were my initials, F. A. I. 

Gerard slipped two fingers under my chin, lifting my head carefully. “D-do you like it?”

I chuckled and shook my head slightly. “Gerard, baby, I love it! But how'd you manage?”

He giggled and bit his lip. “Mikey went with me, and I may or may not have passed out a few times. It kind of took all day.”

I rolled my eyes and pulled Gerard into a tight hug. “Thank you, Gerard. So so much..” 

He hugged back just as tight, nuzzling the side of my head. “You can call me Gee if you like..”

~

Gerard was fussing with his hair. 

“Gee, c’mon, they picked you to marry me, it's not like they're gonna hate you. Chill out..”

He blushed and smiled at me sheepishly. I leaned over quickly and kissed his cheek. “My mum is gonna ask you all about babies, my dad will wanna know about what you studied in high school and your career and why you didn't go to college. You don't have to tell them about David and all that if you don't want to, it's okay.” 

Gerard nodded slightly and I stroked his hair behind his ears gently. “There. I like it that way. Come on, let's go. No need to get all stressed, beautiful. It's gonna be alright..”

He flashed me a small smile and I got out of the car, going around to his side and helping him out carefully. I braced myself for him to stumble, but he managed to stay in balance, leaning on his cane. 

“You okay?”

Gerard nodded and swung my car door shut. I linked my arm through his and walked him towards the doors. He was doing better, still fairly slow, but staying more in balance. 

“I think your physical therapy is really working, hon. You feeling better?”

He blushed slightly and nodded, leaning on me for a few seconds. “Yeah. It's still painful.”

“I know, I'm sorry. But you're on the right path.”

Gerard smiled to himself and I pushed the doors open, walking in with him. He glanced around nervously and quickly shifted closer to me. “I didn't realize this was so fancy,” he mumbled as a waiter hurried over. 

I chuckled and shook my head. “My parents like fancy food a lot more than I do. Hi, I'm with the reservation made under Sullivan?”

The waiter nodded and started leading us off through the restaurant. Gerard tried to hurry to keep up with him, but winced and stumbled slightly. 

“It's okay, beautiful. Don't worry, yeah? Just lean on me..”

He sniffed and I wrapped an arm around him, walking along next to him slowly. When we finally found the right table, no thanks to the waiter, my mum jumped up and hurried over. “Hello! Happy birthday, honey!” She kissed my forehead, then smiled at Gerard brightly. “It's so good to finally meet you. Why don't you have a seat, you look tired.”

I smiled slightly. “Ma, you're not supposed to tell people they look tired.”

She rolled her eyes. “You don't mind, do you dear?”

Gerard shook his head quickly and I sighed as Mum pulled him into a tight hug. Gerard immediately went stiff, glancing at me shakily. I took his hand, squeezing it gently as I looked past Mum to Dad. He rolled his eyes and I chuckled, shooing Mum off Gerard and helping him sit down. I took my own seat across from Dad, who smiled at me. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

Gerard grabbed at my hand under the table and I let him lace our fingers, holding his hand tightly. Mum grinned. 

“So when am I supposed to be expecting my first grandchild?”

Gerard's eyes widened and I sighed. “Ma, I'm too young to be a dad and I don't wanna be yet. Besides, Gerard isn't ready.”

She blinked. “But he's twenty three, he must be-”

“Ma, please. We, as a  _ couple _ , are not ready to do what must be done to make a baby, do you understand?”

Dad snorted and I glared at him briefly. “Not helping.”

Gerard had shrunk back in his seat by now, looking down at his lap intently. I started to rub his thigh under the table, careful not to hurt him. 

“I was laughing at your mother’s reaction, not you,” Dad grinned as Mum froze. 

“Look, Ma, Gerard has been through some not so good stuff and we’re taking our time. That's all.”

She nodded slightly and looked away just as the waiter came up for our drinks order. 

Dad smiled at Gerard kindly as soon as the waiter had bustled off. “So, what's with the leg?”

I winced and sighed. He was trying to be nice, but my dad wasn't particularly tactful at the best of times. I squeezed Gerard's hand as he lifted his head uncertainly. 

“I um. I had a surgery to remove a tumor on my thigh and it went wrong, they took out a lot of my muscle, so my knee joint doesn't work very well. It's um...painful as well.”

Dad pulled a face. “I'm sorry, Gerard.”

“It's okay, you're getting better, right beautiful?” Gerard nodded slightly, giving me a brief, grateful smile for taking over. “We found this really good pain management clinic place, they do physical therapy, counseling, medication, basically everything gets covered, and it seems to be really helping. It's gonna take a while and Gerard had to have another surgery, but it's all good now.”

Mum smiled at Gerard, leaning on the table a little. 

“I know you haven't been able to work since the surgery, but what did you do before then?”

I sighed and squeezed Gerard's thigh lightly. 

“Um, well. I never actually had a job, not unless you count McDonald's for a while. My family couldn't really afford for me to do training or anything like that for any of the fancy omega jobs, so yeah...and um. I actually lived with someone for a while between McDonald’s and my tumor, so I was just kind of...a housewife, I guess.”

_ Housepet, more like.  _

I shifted in my chair, laying my arm over the back of Gerard's. He smiled at me a little, still very tense.

“Sounds rather like my life,” Mum smiled, shaking her head. “But that was a long time ago.”

“So if you could have any career, what would it be?” Dad interrupted, and Gerard seemed to relax a little. 

“Probably a singer or an artist.”

“You still haven't shown me any of your art,” I cut in gently, rubbing his shoulder lightly. “You promised..”

He looked down and sighed. “I uh. Don't have much with me, Frank.”

“Okay, it's okay,” I hummed soothingly, smiling at him as his shoulders dropped again slightly. 

Dad looked at me. “Did you have a good birthday, Frank?” 

~

I held Gerard's hand loosely as I drove home. 

“I'm sorry about Ma,” I said quietly, after a short silence. “She's just..before they had me, she had a few miscarriages and she gave up trying to have children. I just think she really wants me to be able to have a baby with you because she never really got to, y'know? You get used to it, I promise.”

Gerard smiled tiredly, squeezing my hand a little. “It's okay. I'm not...it didn't bother me that much.”

“Good. I care about you, Gerard, and I don't want you to be uncomfortable. You mean a lot to me..”

He hummed softly. “Same to you. Did you have a nice day?”

“Yeah, it was great, beautiful. I loved my gift, and breakfast was delicious. It was nice seeing my friends and yours as well. And you know I always like to see you chatting with Mikey and everyone.”

“Patrick is really nice on his own..”

“He's a sweet dude. I think...I think Brendon might be sniffing around that tree, though. I love Brendon, but I hope Pat tells him to fuck off. He needs to learn a lesson a little bit.”

“He's not as bad as Pete,” Gerard mumbled quietly, looking away out of the car window. 

“True. He's just never been rejected, so he's a little cocky. Pat needs to bring him down a peg.”

Gerard nodded slightly and swallowed. “Mikey tried to break up with Pete once..” He looked down at our linked hands, sniffing a bit. “It didn't go very well.”

I shook my head and sighed. “Pete needs to be brought down several pegs.”

Gerard just nodded and didn't say anything. I squeezed his hand gently and just let silence settle. 

~

Gerard crawled into bed shakily, flopping onto the pillows contentedly. “Ahh. Feels so fucking good.”

I bit my lip lightly. Gerard's soft moan had gone straight to my trousers. I tried to ignore it, getting in next to him and starting to rub his side slowly. “It does..”

He smiled and reached out, playing with my hair lightly. “Frankie? Can I ask you a question?”

“Shoot.”

“Why do you have a different last name to your parents? And you said something about your mom not getting the chance..”

I froze up a little, but took a deep breath. I'd known that I’d have to tell him about this one day. 

“I'm adopted,” I answered softly, gently taking one of his hands and lacing our fingers to stop mine from shaking. “I was taken from my birth parents when I was eight.”

Gerard blinked and shifted closer to me. “Why’s that?” 

“They were um...neglecting me,” I mumbled, looking away slightly. Gerard immediately snuggled up to me, letting go of my hand to hug me loosely. “They um. Didn't really feed me or take me to the doctor, so yeah..”

Gerard nuzzled my jaw and squeezed me gently. “I'm sorry.”

“Don't be, it's over now. Um. That wasn't really the worst part, anyway,” I muttered, my hands shaking as I rested them on his back. 

“You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Frankie.”

“I've never really told anyone before, but I...I wanna tell you...I trust you..”

Gerard squeezed me gently and started to rub my back slowly. 

“I had this uncle and he'd come around sometimes...he'd bring me food and treats and things and get me to trust him. On my eighth birthday, he brought me a cake.”

I shuddered and buried my face in Gerard's soft black hair. “He told me I could eat as much as I wanted, but the more I ate, the more favors he'd ask from me...I ate that whole damn cake, I was so f-fucking stupid. He took me up to my room a-and..”

I broke off, not quite able to form the words as I just shook in my husband’s arms. 

“I understand,” Gerard said very softly. “You don't need to finish, it's okay.”

I sniffed and took a deep breath before nuzzling his neck and pulling him even closer to me. He tipped his head back and let out a soft noise. “Alpha.”

My whole body shuddered and Gerard gently scrabbled at my back. “Alpha...my alpha..”

I gently pushed him away from me, cupping his face in my hands. “A-are you sure?”

Gerard grinned and rested his forehead on mine. “I'm sure. You're my alpha now.  _ I'm  _ claiming  _ you. _ ” 

I chuckled softly and he closed his eyes. 

“You're everything I've ever wanted, Frankie. I'm not ready for mating or anything like that, but I just..I need you to know how hard I'm falling for you.”

I purred softly and let my own eyes slip closed. “Mm. Baby, you're making me so...ugh. I just wanna sink my teeth into you.”

He giggled softly and tilted his head, and suddenly his lips were on mine, his fingers spreading on my cheeks. I slipped my arms around his waist again, pulling him closer but not too close. I didn't want him to feel how ‘excited’ I was and get upset. I didn't want the perfect moment to be over as I kissed back slowly and softly, one hand sliding into his hair as he pulled away, then kissed my cheek. 

“Alpha.”

I groaned softly, my eyes still closed. “You've gotta stop saying that, baby.”

“Oh shit...sorry..” 

I chuckled, blinking as I grinned at him. “S’okay, Gee. I might have to go and sort myself out in a minute, though.”

Gerard blushed and nuzzled my cheek, kissing my jaw softly. “Mm. I wish I was ready to help you, but I'm just...not there yet.”

“I know, it's okay, beautiful. I don't wanna push you. How about I go sort this out and then come give you a nice cuddle..?”

He bit his lip softly and suddenly looked worried, shifting uncomfortably. “Don't you….don't you wanna claim me?”

I smiled softly and nodded. “Of course I do, baby, but if I do, I'm worried I'll lose control and wanna take you as well. I want to wait to claim you until you're ready to mate with me as well, okay? I'm sure I'll be fine, but I don't wanna take a risk, not with this. You're too important to me.”

Gerard purred softly and pressed himself closer to me. “Alpha,” he whimpered, almost involuntarily. I groaned again and gently pushed him away. “Come on, baby. I know you can't control your omega right now, but rein it in a little, yeah? You don't want me to buy what your omega is selling.”

Gerard blushed and looked away, curling up a bit. “S-sorry.”

“There's nothing to be sorry for,” I said gently. “Your body is just reacting to the situation, in the same way mine is. That's all normal.”

I sat up and leaned over Gerard, pecking him on the lips. “I'll be back.”

I slipped out of bed and hurried out of the bedroom awkwardly, jogging into Gerard's bathroom. I grabbed a rag and ripped my sweats and boxers off, wrapping a hand around myself immediately. I started to pump quickly, trying to keep quiet as I thrust into my fist desperately, remembering Gerard's soft voice calling out. He  _ wanted  _ me. His omega was opening up, ready for me. I imagined his cries and moans when I finally took him, sinking my teeth into his side as I shot into his ass, fingernails digging into his hips. I groaned loudly as I finished into the rag, collapsing back against the counter. “F-fuuck..”

~

Gerard was half asleep by the time I crawled back into bed with him, burying my face in his hair as I curled my body around his. 

“Omega..”

He whimpered softly. “Don't start that again..”

I kissed the back of his neck lightly. “M’kay..”

“I'm sorry about your family,” Gerard murmured, rubbing my arm as I wrapped it around his waist tightly. “I didn't really say much...I never know what to say, y'know? I'm sorry.”

“It's okay, Gee,” I soothed, nuzzling the back of his shoulder. “I get it. I don't know what I would have wanted you to say anyway. I just wanted you to know. I want you to know me best, better than anyone else.”

“I want that too..”

Gerard rolled over in my arms, nuzzling my neck and jaw ever so lightly. “One day soon, Frankie, I want you to take me. I know this is all moving fast, but I know I'll never find someone as perfect as you..”

I stroked up and down his back slowly, starting to feel sleepy already. “We can take this as slow as you need, baby. I'm ready when you are, so I really don't care how long it takes. I can wait for you, as long as you stay mine.” 


	9. Chapter 9

**F**

Gerard snuggled up to me as I tried to shuffle away, sniffling. 

“Gee, I'm gonna get you sick, stop it.”

He giggled and shook his head, wrapping his arms around my neck. “Nope. I have a good immune system, I'll be fine. Yours is shite.”

“Tell me about it,” I muttered, sneezing into my elbow. “Fuck.”

Gerard pulled me closer to him, purring happily. “I get you all day now, though.”

“True, but it's not overly romantic when I'm sneezing all over you.”

“I don't mind. I'm gonna make you something nice for dinner tonight. What kind of food do you like?”

“Well, I am Italian,” I pointed out with a smile. “Although I'm not sure my heritage shone through much in my upbringing.”

“Pizza or spaghetti and meatballs?”

Gerard nuzzled my cheek, pressing soft kisses along my jawline as I considered this. 

“Pizza. I can help you, if you-”

“I don't need help and besides, I don't want you sneezing all over dinner,” Gerard laughed, pecking my lips softly. “Idiot.”

“Hey now,” I protested, but knew I was grinning from ear to ear. I loved this new, confident Gerard I’d been seeing over the past couple weeks as he settled in completely. He was so much more comfortable with me now, he'd even hit me playfully or snap back at me jokingly. 

“We should go to the park.”

“It's the middle of November and I have a cold,” I groaned. Gerard giggled and hugged me loosely.

“You're such a pussy-owning submissive alpha,” he grinned, and I rolled my eyes. 

“Whatever. At least  _ you _ like me.”

“Mhm..” Gerard kissed me again softly, shuffling closer to me and now half sitting in my lap. “My feet are cold.”

“Go put some socks on, and don't you dare kick me with them.”

“But that takes effort.”

“So they can't be that cold.”

“Fraankie..”

“I'm sick, do it yourself. God, we don't need another kid in the house, you're the size of four.”

Gerard stuck his tongue out at me, but nuzzled my neck happily, drawing the blanket closer around us as he hugged me tightly. “Frankie.”

“Mhm.”

“You're the best husband.”

“If you say so.”

“I do.”

Gerard went quiet, closing his eyes as he relaxed against my chest slowly. I sighed and stroked his hair, then brushed my hand down his back. He was going away for a long weekend with Mikey the next day, and I knew I was going to miss him, especially now that I wouldn't be occupied with work. I nuzzled him gently, smiling against his skin as he grunted sleepily. 

“Frankie...alpha..”

I purred and pulled him closer, burying my face in his soft, coconut-scented hair. “Omega.”

We sat there for a while contentedly, Gerard not yet drifting back to sleep, but instead humming to me quietly, a tune I didn't recognize. I just held him, feeling his chest rise and fall against mine rhythmically. 

“I care about you so much..” I murmured after a while, running my fingers through that exquisite hair. Gerard snuggled closer to me with a quiet snuffling noise. “Mm. I care about you too, Frankie.”

I squeezed him tightly. 

~~~

Gerard was leaning on his cane heavily, watching as I got his bag from the backseat and passed it over to Mikey, who carried it into the house quickly. 

I stepped up to my husband, resting my hands on his cheeks as he smiled at me, slightly shaky from pain. 

“I'm gonna miss you, beautiful. We're gonna talk every night though, right?”

He kissed my wrist and nodded. “Of course. It's only three nights.”

“I know. I'll make it. C’mere, though..” 

I very gently pulled Gerard into a soft, slow kiss, my thumbs running back and forth over his silky skin. He was the first to pull away, ducking his head as he blushed. “If I don't go now I probably won't.”

I smiled and ran my hands off his cheeks to his shoulders, squeezing them gently. “Have fun, beautiful. Yeah?”

Gerard nodded and pecked my lips once more before starting up the path to the front door. I watched until the door swung shut behind him, then got back into my car and started the long, lonely drive home. 

~

Gerard's face popped up on the screen and I grinned. “Hey, baby!”

He giggled and rubbed his eyes. “Hi! You look like you're on tv.”

“You're such a weirdo,” I teased gently. “How's your day been?”

“Good. We went to New York for a bit, got some food and stuff. Pete’s not been feeling well, though, so Mikey's not really allowed too far from the house.” 

I rolled my eyes, but just sighed.

“What did you have for dinner?” Gerard asked softly, smiling at me happily.

“Baked potato with cheese..”

“And salad?” 

“Yes, Mum, with salad.”

Gerard stuck his tongue out at me and I chuckled, leaning back in my desk chair. “How's work been, Frankie?”

“Fine, I actually went today. My dyslexic kid is doing a lot better, she's taken her tutoring sessions down to once every two weeks, and I've started running auditions for the musical with the choir teacher. It's all good fun.”

Gerard hummed softly. “I had the Spanish Inquisition from Mikey today about that kiss. Apparently he saw it when you dropped me off and was saving it to spring on me later.”

I pulled a face and he grinned, shaking his head. 

“It wasn't too bad, I told him about everything, and I think he's happy for us. He just wants me to be sure I'm happy, y'know? I just...I wish I could be with you, Frankie. Properly..”

I ran a hand through my hair, sighing softly. “I know, but we can't rush it, we really can't. I can't risk losing you over something that doesn't even matter that much. It's just sex. It's not the end of the world.”

“But I want to mate with you, every part of me wants you, I just...I'm scared..”

“What of, beautiful?”

Gerard sighed and looked away, then down, his hair falling to frame the sides of his face and cast shadows over his features. “I'm scared of being hurt. What if I'm not enough for you or what if you turn out to be...not my Frankie..”

I rubbed the bridge of my nose lightly, feeling my chest tighten. “Baby...it's  _ just sex _ . I'm not gonna stop loving you cause you're bad in bed, that would be silly and if I did that, you'd deserve better anyway. And I'm not planning on changing anytime soon. I'm the Frank I've always been and I quite like him, to be honest with you.”

Gerard giggled, but there was a sniff at the end. 

“I wish I could be in your arms right now, alpha.”

He said it so sweetly and softly it made my hands shake. 

“I just wanna hold you,” I murmured, swallowing the lump in my throat quickly. “But it's just two more nights, beautiful. I'm going out with Chris tomorrow, he wants to introduce me to some more people and the baby.”

“Ohh, yeah,” Gerard smiled, lifting his head and wiping his eyes. “You haven't met her yet, huh? I forgot that.”

“Yeah, well. I'm not a huge fan of babies. They're better than toddlers but not by much.”

Gerard shrugged. “They're cute when you don't have to change the diapers.”

I chuckled and shook my head. “How's it been with Pete other than not being able to go far?”

Gerard sighed and looked down. “I dunno. I keep hearing him and Mikey fighting downstairs after I go to bed. I think he's been throwing things at him. I really really want to help, but I'm just..I'm so petrified when he starts shouting...I feel really bad for not-”

“You're not doing anything wrong, sweetie. I'm sure of that. Mikey can get out of the way and handle it a lot better than you can, and it's not like you could make Pete stop. Stay out of it, okay? Imagine how bad Mikey would feel if Pete hurt you.”

Gerard nodded slightly, starting to pick at his thumbnail. “Okay.”

“We need to find Mikey another man, a better man. I'm gonna start making a list of single alphas I know.”

“And omegas,” Gerard chuckled softly. “Mikey’ll have anyone, but he does like alphas best. I'll start thinking too. Ask Chris tomorrow. He always knows someone.”

I hummed quietly. “Okay. Sounds good, let's do it. We can compare notes tomorrow evening.”

Gerard scratched at the side of his head lightly. “Mikey likes cuddles, but he also likes his men a little more...opinionated than I do. Clearly. He needs someone who’ll really help him make decisions. Not necessarily control him, but not be afraid to give their own input, y'know?”

I nodded, stretching my back out briefly. “Yeah. I should just clone myself, basically.”

Gerard snorted and shook his head. “Then I'd be jealous and we'd end up fighting over the original Frankie. We're brothers, we can't share anything nicely.”

“Hmm, yeah. I can see the issue. I'll just have to search a little further from myself.”

Gerard grinned, but rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, a sure sign he was exhausted. 

“Mm. I'm starting to get sleepy, Frankie.”

“Then get some rest.”

“But I wanna keep talking to you..”

I grinned and shook my head slowly. “Another dilemma. Get some sleep, baby.”

“But-”

“You need to sleep, remember what the pain management doctor said, yeah?”

Gerard sighed moodily and nodded, flopping down in bed and moving the laptop so he could still talk to me as he laid there comfortably. 

“Want me to sing you to sleep, baby?” I offered, half joking. Gerard purred and nodded quickly. 

“Yes please, alpha.”

I chuckled and smiled softly. “I don't have the best voice, I'm sorry in advance. What song?”

“I like the to make you feel my love one, y'know?”

“Billy Joel?”

“Yeah.” 

I watched Gerard drift off to the sound of my slightly rough voice, smiling as I just watched his thin chest rise and fall for a minute or so. 

“I love you, Gee,” I whispered, blowing him a kiss before quitting skype and closing my laptop. 

~~~

I listened to the dial tone nervously. It was my third time trying to call Gerard on his last night with Mikey. He'd been fine the night before, and had picked up immediately to chat about my day with Chris and his trip out to the zoo with Mikey. But now he wasn't picking up, and neither was Mikey. 

I called Gerard's phone and it went straight to voicemail. I left another message, then texted Mikey. 

**Frank, 22:43**

**Gerard isn't picking up?? Is everything okay? He's got me really worried.**

I tried to busy myself with some work while I waited for a reply, but I couldn't really get concentrated properly. As soon as my phone buzzed, I snatched it up. 

**Mikey, 23:10**

**He's fine. Had a long day and he fell asleep as soon as we got home. He misses you, ready to see you tomorrow.**

I sighed, running a hand through my hair shakily. Something didn't seem right to me, but I had to trust in Mikey. I groaned quietly to myself, dropping my head down on my desk with a soft thud. I had some fairly strong doubts about getting my eight hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a little bit short...


	10. Chapter 10

**F**

Gerard's bag was already on the curb when I drove up, frowning. I parked in the road, getting out and grabbing the bag just as Gerard hobbled down the path at a speed I hadn't before seen him achieve. He said nothing to me, barely even looked at me before wrenching the passenger door open and getting into the car. I sighed and chucked his bag in the backseat, then got in behind the wheel, wrinkling my nose as I slammed the door. 

“Gerard?”

He was breathing slightly heavily already, still avoiding eye contact as if his life depended on it. 

“Why do you stink of  _ another alpha _ ?”

Gerard didn't answer, swallowing hard and starting to shake. I gripped onto the steering wheel as tightly as I could, keeping my hands glued there as I tried to force the rising anger down. 

“Have you been cheating on me?” I snarled, now digging my nails into the leather coating on the wheel. 

“N-no, alpha,” Gerard muttered, and I forced myself to see his whole body trembling, poised to run at any moment. He still wouldn't look at me. 

I took a deep breath and relaxed my grip on the steering wheel as I leaned over, pulling Gerard's scent in slowly. 

I was out of the car before my thought process could catch up, kicking the door shut. I stalked up the path, flicking my car keys out and fitting one between each finger on my right hand, tucked up against my knuckles. The rage was boiling in my stomach much more fiercely now, but the only word pounding in my head was  **_MINE._ **

I kicked the front door open, hearing the clink as the broken latch slid out and hit the floor. I hesitated, drawing the scents of the house in before setting off. I stopped in front of a door with an M on the front, trying the handle. It clicked and the door swung open. He was there, laying on the bed, half asleep and half naked. 

“Mikey?” He grunted, squinting at the doorway. “Where's my lunch?”

I shut the door behind me quietly and tucked my keys into my back pocket, then took a deep breath and cracked my knuckles. 

“You touched  _ my omega. _ ” 

“Frank?”

Pete sat up, chuckling at me. “Fuck, this is hilarious, you think that I'm supposed to be scared of you?”

He stood up slowly and I waited. 

“He's  _ mine.  _ I protect him. I will take him. I will mate with him, and he will have my children. He is  _ my omega. _ ”

“Now, see, I don't think so,” Pete sneered as he stalked up to me, a little swagger in his step. “Both Way boys are  _ mine.  _ Alphas need a beta and an omega. I have both right here. And they're both going to be mine.”

I didn't wait to hear more, swinging immediately and hitting Pete across the jaw with a loud crack before twisting expertly and landing a heavy kick to his ribs. He gasped and collapsed, and I took my chance, kneeling over his chest and pulling my fist back for another hit. “MINE!”

I let my rage out to feast. 

 

Mikey was screaming, grabbing at me. Blood dripped off my knuckles as I stared down at Pete. He was still conscious, but barely. Mikey was sobbing, tears streaming down his pale cheeks. “Frank!”

I felt strong hands under my arms and I was yanked away from Pete, easily regaining my footing and ripping myself away from the older man. I glared at him for a couple tense seconds, then bolted, brushing past him and Mikey and sprinting for the car. 

I jumped in behind the wheel and slammed the key in the ignition, flooring it down the road with one hand on Gerard's thigh. 

I took a few quick turnings, then tucked the car in an out of the way spot in the urban maze. Gerard was shaking. I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached into the back, grabbing the ratty blanket I kept there and drying the blood off my hands with it. 

Gerard was staring at me now, his hands in his lap as they shook uncontrollably. I reached over, ignoring him flinching as I started to stroke his hair. “Shh, baby. I'm not angry with you, shh. I think I have a pretty good idea of what he did to you, and I don't blame you, beautiful. Please don't be scared of me, baby. I'm trying to be a good alpha. Alphas protect their omegas, and he won't hurt you again..”

Gerard turned his head to nuzzle my hand, sniffling a bit. “F-Frankie..”

“I'm sorry, baby. Maybe I should have left it alone, I just…I got so angry. Because you're mine and you were scared and hurting...I  _ hate  _ seeing you like that.” 

“It's o-okay...I was s-scared for you..”

“Me?” I chuckled softly, brushing my thumb over his cheekbone. “Baby, I've been doing mixed martial arts since I was ten, and Pete is all bark and no bite..”

“B-but my dad was there..”

“I think he dragged me off Pete, but it was a good thing really. I don't think I woulda stopped otherwise. Are you alright, beautiful?”

Gerard took a deep breath. “I want to go home.”

“Okay, but do we need to detour to the hospital? A police station?”

“N-no. I need to be home. I need to have my cuddles, and a nice bath. I need you.”

“Well, I'm here, baby. Come on..”

I took his hand gently, starting the car again. 

~

I washed my hands off in the sink as Gerard started to run his bath. 

“Baby?”

“Mhm.”

“Can I have a look at you?” I called softly, walking out of my room to lean in his doorway. “Please? I wanna make sure you're okay..”

He picked up the stack of clean pajamas and shrugged. “Okay. I need help into the bath anyway.”

“Alright.” 

I took his arm gently as he walked back to me, limping a little more than usual. “Does it hurt?”

Gerard nodded, not looking at me. I sighed and helped him into the bathroom, setting the clean clothes out of the way. I shut the door behind us and turned the bath tap off. “Okay. Want me to undress you or..?”

“N-no!”

“Okay,” I said calmly and gently. “That's okay.”

Gerard shuffled away from me slightly, slipping his shirt off and hunching his shoulders, trying to hide in plain sight. I sighed and watched as he undid his belt, pulling his jeans off slowly. “That's it, Gee,” I encouraged him gently, turning away slightly as he kicked his boxers off. 

I walked over to him as he stood there, trying to make himself as small as possible, and lifted his chin. I kissed him softly and briefly, then stepped back slightly, eyeing up the plethora of bruises scattered all over his stomach and sides. Two almost perfect handprints sat on his hips in reddish purple bruising, one half hidden by his tattoo. I sighed and gently turned him around, stroking his back. “I'm just gonna look, okay? Deep breath, Gee.”

I parted his cheeks carefully and crouched down, wincing when I saw the dried blood. “Does it still hurt, beautiful?”

Gerard nodded slightly and I let go carefully, rubbing the small of his back as I stood up. “Alright, let's get you in this bath, yeah? Nice and clean..”

I held Gerard's hand tightly as he quickly stepped into the bath, sinking down so the layer of bubbles on the surface of the water just brushed his chin. 

“Gerard, look at me..”

He only really glanced at me, and wouldn't make eye contact. 

“You're my omega, Gee. And I'm falling so hard for you...none of this changes that. Please don't worry about me leaving you or thinking you're dirty or whatever, because I know it wasn't your fault, yeah? How can I make you feel better?”

Gerard looked away again, his eyes expressionless. “Dunno.”

“Do you want me to wash you off? Leave? I could make us a nice dinner? Or would you rather just have cuddles and pizza?”

“I'm not hungry.”

“Okay, baby. Should I leave you to get on with your bath?”

“N-no! A-alpha!” Gerard grabbed at me shakily but firmly, sniffling. 

“I'm here, baby. I'm not going anywhere as long as you want me to stay. Okay?”

I slipped my shirt off quickly and leaned over, pulling Gerard into as tight a hug as I could achieve over the tub. He buried his face in my neck, trembling a little in my arms. 

“Shh, baby. I've got you. How about you get out and we go cuddle in bed?”

Gerard nodded quickly, shifting a little and digging his nails into my back lightly. 

“Alright, baby, shh,” I soothed, carefully pulling away. I stood up and put my arms under his, easily swinging him up and onto his feet. “There we go,” I murmured, steadying him and keeping an arm around his waist as he stepped out of the tub.

“Perfect..” I handed him a towel, then grabbed a washcloth and wetted it with warm water. “Can I just clean off back there for you?”

Gerard gulped, but nodded, not making eye contact with me. I sighed and crouched down behind him, carefully cleaning away the blood. “All done,” I hummed when I was finished, standing up quickly and starting to help him into his clothes. “That's it..”

I led him out of the bathroom carefully, my arm tight around his waist as I walked him to the bed and helped him in carefully.

“Cuddle?”

Gerard nodded quickly and I smiled, unbuckling my belt and kicking my jeans away before grabbing a pair of sweatpants and tugging them on. I climbed into bed and Gerard whimpered softly. 

“A-Alpha..”

I reached out to him and pulled him into a hug as he scrambled closer to my chest, nuzzling me. “Alpha..”

“Omega,” I murmured, wrapping one arm around him and using my spare hand to stroke his hair. “I've got you. Alpha’s here..”

For once, the word ‘alpha’ passing Gerard's lips didn't turn me on. It broke my heart. 

~

Gerard woke up sometime later, nuzzling me and whimpering. 

“Hey, baby. I've got you,” I soothed quietly, pulling him closer to me. “You mean so much to me, beautiful.” 

Gerard shifted slightly, then leaned up, grabbing my jaw and kissing me hard. I blinked, but quickly closed my eyes and kissed back, a little softer. 

“Alpha..” He whined against my lips, suddenly grabbing at my thigh. 

“No.” 

I pulled away quickly. “No no no. We're not doing that, Gerard. You're scared and shaky and hurting and you don't know what you're doing. Just cuddles..” 

“But Frank!” Gerard grabbed at my junk clumsily. “Alpha!”

I batted his hand away gently. “No, baby. Come on. We're having nice cuddles. Stop it.”

He pouted, but gave up and buried his face in my neck. “I wanna be claimed,” he muttered.

“You are,” I pointed out softly. “You smell of me and you're mine. I just haven't...I can't hurt you, Gerard..” 

Gerard pressed his entire body to mine immediately. “You wouldn't...but...fine.” 

There was a short pause while he sulked, looking away from me with his eyes half-lidded. 

“Gerard?”

“Mm?”

“What's with you and your parents? You never mentioned seeing them or anything and then you seemed like you were scared of your dad.”

Gerard shrugged. “They stopped talking to me when I moved out with David. Dad had a go at me, told me how I was a terrible person and hurting my mom and all this stuff. That's all, I just, don't like seeing them. That's why we chose that weekend for me to go over, because they were out for most of it.” 

I nodded and stroked his hair slowly. “Are you feeling any better?”

Gerard nodded slightly, smiling faintly. “Your cuddles always make me feel better. And...it's not...I always knew he was going to do it one day and I wouldn't be able to stop him. My body wouldn't let me stop him. I'm just glad I have you to cuddle with now, because otherwise I wouldn't have anyone.”

“That's not entirely true, baby, but alright.”

“I'll be better tomorrow. I need some sleep.”

“Well I'm here, beautiful. I've got you. Close your eyes..”

~

“It was like he didn't care..”

“Frank, you're overreacting a little, calm down,” Brendon said quietly. “I've heard about this before with omegas. They get so desensitized to being touched without their permission and sexualized constantly that rape is...almost normal to them. It's a part of our culture. A fucked up, horrible part, but think about it. Alphas take what they want. They take omegas during heat, force them to have children, in Gerard's case force them to have sex with other people. From that point of view, how is Pete raping him any different to what David did to him?”

I sighed quietly. “I know all that, and it  _ is  _ different,” I insisted. 

“I know, Frank, but maybe Gerard doesn't really see it that way. You need to claim him, and soon, before someone else decides that they want him.”

I groaned and rubbed my eyes shakily. “Bren, I can't...what if I just take him? And you know claiming doesn't mean much unless you mate after. Gerard's not ready, and Mikey said if I have sex with him and he's not ready, he’ll never fall in love with me.”

There was a long pause. 

“Frank, he  _ is _ in love with you! Jesus. You're so thick sometimes, I swear to God.”

“But if he is, then I can't destroy that.”

“You're not fucking going to! He was asking for it, he wants it! Just take it slow, be gentle, kiss him loads and bite him really fucking hard.”

I sighed and put my hand over my eyes. “I don't know, Bren. It doesn't feel right.”

“Call Pat and talk to him, or talk to one of Gerard's friends. They know him better, but I think it's about time you took him for your own.”

 

Chris picked up on the first ring. “I've been trying to get ahold of you, Frank.”

“Sorry, I've uh. Been on the phone to someone else.”

“I heard about Pete, and I don't have anything to say to you about it, yeah? Not my place to criticize cause I know I would have done the same thing if someone had touched Ricky. I just wanna know if Gee's okay..”

I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose. “Well, yeah. I think so. He's like...creepily okay. He said basically that he's been expecting it to happen for a while and then he tried to get me to have sex with him..”

Chris hesitated, then sighed loudly. “As long as he's okay, I guess.”

“He's asleep right now, I'm keeping an eye on him,” I mumbled, running a hand through my hair. “It just worries me how he's so...okay with it.”

“Because he's dealt with it before,” Chris said quietly. “He must have done. Ricky was fairly sure and it's the only explanation for a reaction like that..”

I groaned softly and got up, moving to sit on the edge of the bed and rub Gerard's side. He slept heavily, so I wasn't too worried about waking him. “He wants me to...mate with him. But I'm not...I'm not sure if he's ready,” I mumbled uncertainly, sniffling a bit. “I wanna be sure, but he says it'll make him feel safer..”

Chris took a deep breath. “I'm gonna pass the phone to Ricky. Omegas...they understand this stuff better..”

“Alright.”

There was a pause and some whispering before I heard Ricky's quiet voice. “Hi.”

“Hey. Did Chris explain?”

“Yeah, he did. Gerard needs you, Frank. He needs you in a way he hasn't before, because he needs you as his mate. He needs to be yours.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

The phone crackled and Chris chuckled softly. “Apparently that's all my husband has to say about that. Look, Frank. Talk to him, yeah? If you're not sure. Gerard knows his own mind.”

“Yeah, okay. Thanks, Chris.”

“No problem. Call me if you need anything, yeah? I'm glad he's okay and I'm glad you beat the shit outta Pete. He deserved it.”

“Thanks. I'll see you later.”

I hung up and quickly laid down next to Gerard, burying my face in his hair and hugging him to my chest as tightly as I could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 11 is about 6,400 words so I hope that will make up for the fact that this one is a little short and not much happens :)   
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed Pete's well-deserved smackdown as much as I did <3


	11. Chapter 11

**F**

“I'll be in heat again soon,” Gerard murmured, laid out against my chest as I sat in bed, the tv on quietly. 

“And?”

“And I want you to take me when it's over. I'm not playing around, I'm not desperate because I'm upset. I want you, and I need you.”

“Are you sure?” I asked gently, stroking my fingers through his hair slowly as I nuzzled and kissed his cheek. I'd been debating with myself all evening as to how to bring up the subject, and Gerard had just done it for me. I should have been glad. 

He twisted to face me, kissing my jaw. “I'm sure. I care about you so much, Frankie. I'm still...I'm still falling, but I know I'm not far off, and I'm not sure I'll ever stop falling for you. Please.”

I nodded, my mouth feeling a little dry. “I promise I'll be gentle.”

“I know you will.”

~~~

Gerard was curled up in bed, playing a game on his phone. I leaned in the doorway, arms folded over my chest. “Your scent changed.”

He blinked and looked up at me, suddenly seeming nervous. “Oh.”

“You can change your mind,” I said gently, walking over slowly and leaning down to kiss his cheek. “I'm not gonna get angry.”

“I know. I don't want to change my mind, I'm just nervous.”

I nodded and he put his phone aside, smiling up at me. “I'm ready, Frankie. I've been thinking about this all week..”

I nodded and stroked his hair slowly, curling one lock around my finger. “Me too,” I admitted softly. “Honestly I've been aching for you..”

Gerard giggled and bit his lip lightly. “That sounds so strange.”

I laughed and leaned down, kissing him deeply. All the laughter faded from the room as Gerard rolled onto his back, pulling me even deeper and spreading his legs. “Alpha,” he whimpered against my lips and I felt my control slip just for a moment. “F-fucking hell..”

I ripped my shirt off, then unbuttoned his with hastened, shaky fingers, tearing it off his shoulders quickly. Gerard gasped, but grinned up at me, guiding my hands to run over his chest, my thumbs brushing his nipples. 

“Frankie..”

I groaned and quickly tugged his pajama pants down, practically drooling already. He smelled so excruciatingly sweet, I could barely take it. I climbed onto him, leaning down and kissing him roughly as I ground my hips down against his, rubbing the bud of one of his nipples in between my thumb and forefinger. 

“A-alpha!” Gerard gasped, moaning loudly and bucking his hips against mine. “Please! I need to feel you! I need to be filled up..”

I grabbed at him through his boxers, squeezing a little harder than necessary. 

“Ah! Ah! Alpha, that feels so g-good!”

I grinned to myself and ripped Gerard's boxers off, then fumbled with my belt and kicked my jeans and boxers away quickly. I climbed back onto him, pressing my hips to his as I kissed him deeply, feeling his precum already smearing over my stomach. “Frank!”

“You're so loud,” I growled softly, grabbing his wrists and pinning them above his head with one hand. “I love it..”

I ducked my head, keeping my hips against his as I started to suck on his nipple, using my teeth a little to stimulate him further and grinning to myself as he bucked up over and over, squealing my name and rubbing his rock hard cock against mine. I finally released his nipple and flipped him over under me. I leaned over and grabbed the lube I'd stashed in the bedside table earlier, dropping it next to me as I spread Gerard's cheeks, pushing myself between them and rubbing my shaft against his hole. Gerard groaned and wriggled back, desperate for the teasing to be over. I pulled back to lube up, groaning to myself as I saw his entrance gaping slightly. “Fuckin’ omegas..”

Gerard was shaking all over now, whining for me as he rocked back over and over, trying to find something that wasn't there. I slicked myself up and spread his cheeks, causing him to freeze. He dropped his head, gasping. “Alpha...please, alpha.”

All plans to start him slow went out the window and I plunged into him, grinning as he cried out, his hips rolling against the bed. “Ahh! Alpha!”

There was nothing but pure pleasure in his cry as I gave him exactly what his body craved. 

“That's it. You're such an omega..” I murmured, rubbing his back slowly as he rolled his hips a few times, trying to get me to move. 

“ _ My  _ omega. You're mine, Gerard. And I'm yours…”

I pulled out almost all the way before slamming back in, making Gerard squeal and rut back happily. I leant over him, his lithe body hot and sweaty under mine as I started to move slowly, trying to find the right spot. I brushed it and Gerard suddenly screamed out, arching his back and grabbing onto the sheets so hard I was scared he'd rip them. 

I smirked to myself and sat back again, gripping onto his hips gently as I began to absolutely rail him, slamming in and out as fast as I could, each time hitting his prostate dead on.

It wasn't long before he was a moaning, shaking mess under me, only able to whimper ‘alpha’ over and over. I felt the heat build up in my stomach as Gerard began to tighten around me, and quickly slowed my pace. 

“You’re mine now, Gee..”

I leant over, pulling out all the way and slamming back in as I sank my teeth into his side as hard as I could, making him scream again and push back against me as he came, his whole body shuddering as his muscles shifted and tightened, causing me to push in as hard as I could as I let go, filling up his warm insides with sticky white ropes. I thrust a few more times, slowly and as deep as I could, then pulled out and collapsed next to Gerard, tugging him into my arms. He flopped against my chest, panting heavily and laying on me limply as I felt some of my cum dribble out of him onto my thigh. “F-Frankie..”

I stroked over the bite mark on his side, trying to wipe the blood away. It had already healed over in a deep, dark purple. I grinned to myself. I'd never seen a mark on an omega quite that dark, and I felt an odd sense of pride as I pulled Gerard closer, stroking his hair slowly. “It's alright, baby. You did so well. All mine now, beautiful. We're mates now, baby. You seem exhausted. Get some rest, yeah?” 

 

Gerard stirred about an hour later, nuzzling me sleepily. I ran my fingers through his messy hair slowly, purring as he grunted. “Frankie..”

“I'm here, baby. You wakin’ up?”

“Yeah..” 

He shifted a little, slowly pulling himself up into a sitting position, half on top of me. He rubbed his tired hazel eyes, blinking at me. I grinned back at him and he stuck his tongue out. 

“Don't make fun of me, I know I look like shit.”

I shook my head, brushing the backs of my fingers over his side lazily. “I'd never dream of it.”

Gerard yawned and leaned over, kissing me again softly. “Mm. I'm tired but I'm still..” He glanced down and sighed. “I'm not  _ that  _ tired, y'know?”

I hummed briefly, stretching a bit. “You're asking for another round, huh?”

Gerard pulled a face and sighed. “Yeah. I just...isn't mating supposed to be really special? I mean...it was fantastic sex, Frankie, thank you, but it didn't feel like anything more..”

I rolled my eyes and pretended to be offended. “Rude.”

Gerard pouted at me, flicking my chest. “I'm being serious!”

I dropped the act and started to rub his back slowly, feeling his spine under my fingers. “Mm. I don't know, baby. Maybe cause I bit you while we were..?”

He shrugged with one shoulder and sighed softly. “I want to know..”

“Aren't you tired or sore?”

Gerard opened his mouth to say something, then seemed to think better of it and just shook his head instead. 

“Okay. But I'm not...overly in the mood..”

He winked at me and stretched out before spreading my legs suddenly and crouching down between them. “Mm, Frankie. My alpha..”

I groaned softly and Gerard slowly crawled up my body, kissing me deeply as he rolled his hips to mine and made sure to press himself to as much of me as possible, rubbing that sweet, enchanting scent all over me. I tried to grab him, but he was already sliding back down, crouching as he lifted my balls in one hand, massaging them lightly while he licked a stripe up my cock. I bucked up unintentionally and Gerard giggled. “Ooh...someone's excited!”

I swore quietly under my breath. “Don't you fucking tease me, omega.”

Gerard just grinned happily, leaning down and hollowing his cheeks as he easily took me straight down the back of his throat. I swore again, much louder and for a completely different reason, grabbing a handful of Gerard's hair. He batted my hand away irritably, but started to move up and down slowly, swirling his tongue expertly and brushing me lightly with his teeth every now and then, just to keep me on edge. After a couple blissful minutes, he pulled off with a wet noise and grinned up at me happily. He climbed up and, without any sort of fuss, simply sank down onto me, tossing his head back and whining softly. 

“Ah! Ohhh, alpha..”

I growled and Gerard purred as I sat up, wrapping my arms around him. I slapped him hard on the ass, smirking as he squealed and quickly started bouncing, using my shoulders for support instead of his own legs. 

“Mmm, alpha..” Gerard murmured lowly, burying his face in my neck as I started to thrust up into him. I relished in the grunts and soft moans he made as I forced myself as deep into him as possible, making sure to brush his prostate on the way in. He was already leaking on me, his legs shaking around my hips as he dug his nails into my back. 

I gently threw him to the bed, grinning as he gasped softly, looking up at me in shock. It quickly faded into excitement as I crawled over him again, kissing him so hard and desperate that our teeth clashed. Gerard didn't seem to mind, spreading his legs wide for me. “Frankie! A-alpha, please please..”

I nodded slightly and rolled him onto his side so he'd be more comfortable before pushing into him slowly. He arched his back and I hesitated, just looking at him for a moment. I watched his milky, smooth skin flex and shift as he breathed heavily, his eyelids flutter as he watched me expectantly, and the way his thin lips parted slightly, ready for him to scream out my name. He looked so beautiful to me in that moment, and I just dove in, kissing him hard, but still slow and passionate, pulling out all the way before thrusting in again less rapidly, hitting his prostate perfectly. 

Gerard's whole body shuddered and he gasped against my lips, scrabbling for a grip on my arm. I gently pulled away, holding his shoulder in one hand and wrapping my other arm under his thigh, lifting it up out of the way as I kissed him again, building up a rhythm of slow, deliberate thrusts, each one causing Gerard's body to jerk or shiver. I let go of his thigh to run a hand down to his stomach, holding him gently as I thrust a little harder, feeling the shudder again. His already tight muscles contracted around me and I gasped, pulling him even closer to me as I felt the buildup begin. 

Gerard was shaking now, whimpering each time I pushed into him, grabbing onto my hand. I thrust in once more, as far into him as I could get, and felt his body go limp under me as his eyes rolled back in his head and he started to cum, the muscles wrapped around me contracting with each rope that stained the sheets. I slammed into him once more, gasping as the most intense orgasm I'd ever had tipped over the edge and I pressed my cum into Gerard, listening to the soft happy noises he made as I filled him up for the second time that evening. 

“A-alpha..” He whispered in a quiet, broken voice. I pulled out slowly, still trembling with the force of my orgasm as I watched my cum spill out of my mate, now absolutely certain he was all mine. Gerard struggled to sit up, grabbing at my shoulders as he tried to drag himself into my sticky lap, burying his face in my neck desperately. “Frankie.”

“I'm here, Gee.” 

We sat there for a while, just panting as the pleasure faded away slowly. 

After we'd both caught our breath, I helped Gerard lay down and pulled him into another cuddle. Gerard's soft hazel eyes locked with mine and he smiled in pure contentment. “My mate.”

I kissed him softly, then gently rolled him onto his stomach, stroking down his back before leaning over and starting to clean him up with my tongue, lapping my cum off his thighs. He gasped as soon as I got to his entrance, flicking my tongue across it. “Mm, baby. You look like you're gonna be sore..” I mumbled, then gripped his hips gently and started cleaning him out, ignoring his uncertain whimpers and whines. 

When I was satisfied he was clean enough, I laid back down with him and pulled him into a kiss, letting him taste us on my tongue. “Frankie...cuddles..” Gerard mumbled, exhausted as I pulled away and tugged a blanket over us. I grinned and tangled our legs together, resting my forehead against his. “I'm here.”

“Good.”

I pecked his lips and stroked his hair back from his face slowly. “Do you feel better?”

“Much,” he hummed, keeping his eyes closed happily. “Much better about everything..”

“Even about Pete?”

Gerard's eyes snapped open. “I was fine anyway.”

“Please don't lie to me, Gee. I know you only begged for this because it scared you. You wanted to be mine to protect you.”

Gerard suddenly looked like he was about to cry, so I quickly put my hands on his cheeks, stroking my thumbs under his eyes. “It's okay, to feel like that. And to want this for that reason. I'm not angry, I just wish you'd be more honest with me.” 

He pulled away gently and shrugged, sniffling a bit. “I um...I just didn't want to talk about it. I thought if I pretended everything was fine, then it would be..” 

I kissed his forehead softly, brushing my knuckles down his cheek. “How do you feel now?”

He smiled slightly, but it didn't really reach his eyes. “Better, really. I feel more secure, safe. At home. Like I'm where I'm meant to be, right here, in your house and your arms. Everything will be okay as long as I'm with you..”

I purred and nuzzled the side of his head lightly, gently pulling him closer to me. “It will be. I'm here..”

“I know. I just...I still dream it sometimes.”

“Wake me up next time you have a bad dream and we’ll cuddle,” I smiled softly, pressing a gentle kiss to his temple. “I'm here for you, Gerard. You're my husband, my omega, and my mate. I've got like...triple responsibility..”

Gerard giggled a little shakily and smiled at me more genuinely. “If you say so..”

“I do. It's my job to be here for you and to care for you. You mean everything to me.”

“And you to me,” he murmured, then kissed me softly, shuffling a little closer. He broke away carefully and nuzzled my shoulder, curling up against my chest. 

“Have you heard from Mikey?” I asked after a brief silence. I played with Gerard's hair lightly, combing out the tangles with my fingers. 

“Not since he left me a pissy voicemail telling me to keep you away from him.”

I sighed and stroked Gerard's hair slowly, hugging him a little tighter. “I'm sorry, baby, I-”

“You didn't do anything wrong. Mikey's just...I don't think he knows how to live without Pete anymore. But he needs to grow a set and throw the shitpile out. I told him what happened after he left me the voicemail, I told him why you attacked Pete, but I haven't had anything back yet.”

“How long’s it been?”

“About a week.”

“Oh, he'll come round, Gee.”

Gerard kissed my collarbone softly, then nuzzled my jaw. “I know. Now shh...I know you're trying to have a nice conversation, but I'm really fucking tired and I just wanna have another nap with you.”

I chuckled softly and kissed the top of his head lightly as he settled in against me comfortably. “Okay, baby. I'll be quiet.”

~

I woke up and swore quietly, peeling my sticky body away from Gerard's. “Frank..”

He rolled over, squinting at me sleepily as I sat up. “Hey baby,” I smiled softly, fixing his hair gently. “You feelin’ okay?”

Gerard grinned, gently grabbing at me. “I'm not sure, I think we should try it again.”

I chuckled and rolled my eyes, running my knuckles down the center of his chest. “I wish, beautiful, but I gotta go soon for a work thing.”

Gerard pouted and sat up quickly, scooting close to me. “Can I come with you?”

“If you can shower and be dressed in ten minutes.”

Gerard thought about this for a second. “Well first of all I can't shower, so...maybe you could shower with me?”

“Yeah, I uh, I got you a seat thing for the shower the other day and then forgot to tell you..I’ll find it, you get your clean clothes ready, yeah? Something smart.”

Gerard nodded and I hurried off, finding the fold-up plastic stool in the bathroom cupboard, along with a rubber grip mat I’d bought at the same time. I laid the mat down on the floor in the shower, then put the seat out and started the water running to heat up. I heard soft footsteps behind me and looked up at Gerard. “Hey baby.”

“Hi Frankie.”

He shuffled in, gently leaning against my chest as I stood up. “I'm waiting for the water..” 

Gerard just purred, stroking a hand down my side slowly. “Mm. Hi.”

“Hey, weirdo.”

I opened the shower door and helped Gerard in carefully, sitting him down on the little chair. “How's that?”

He giggled softly and nodded slightly. “Perfect..”

I smiled and started to wash myself off, watching as Gerard did the same, humming to himself happily. Once he'd finished washing his body, I took the attachment down and started to wash his hair for him, running my fingers through his wet hair. “You're so beautiful, Gerard.”

“And you're very handsome, Frankie.”

I leaned down and kissed his cheek. “I'm rinsing the soap, be careful.”

I finished Gerard's hair off quickly, then started on mine. “It's gonna be a long drive, baby, about an hour and a half.”

“I thought it was work.”

“It's related,” I said quietly, feeling a blush start to rise on my cheeks. “It's like a state teacher conference thing. You'll probably be super bored, but you asked to come.”

“I did, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it as long as I'm with you.”

“That's so fucking cheesy but so fucking cute at the same time. I might vomit.”

“How about a kiss instead?”

I leaned down and pecked his lips softly, then shut off the water. “Alright. You get a start on blow drying your hair and I'll start getting my suit-”

“Suit?” Gerard exclaimed, eyes suddenly wide. “Frank, I don't have-”

“It's okay, baby, I just need to wear one cause I'm doing a speech thing. You don't need to be that fancy, it's alright. Calm down..”

I gently helped Gerard up, grabbing onto him tightly as he slipped. “I've got you. Come on..”

I led him out of the shower carefully, wrapping a towel around him gently. His sweet scent had faded almost immediately after we'd mated, which was rather lucky. I didn't have time for another round and I didn't want to be fending other alphas off from my husband all night. 

I pulled him into a loving hug, rubbing his back slowly. “Oh baby. You look so cute..”

“I'm not doing anything,” he protested with a soft giggle, gently pulling away from me. “Let go..”

I pouted, but started drying off, watching Gerard as he dried his hair. 

~

I parked the car and glanced around, squeezing Gerard's hand. “Stay close to me, beautiful..”

He nodded and got out of the car carefully, shuffling forward a few steps. I hurried over to take his arm, but not before admiring his arse in the tight black jeans he loved so much. “Come on. It's gonna be busy in there, but you're gonna be okay.”

Gerard smiled at me calmly. “I know. I have you.”

I grinned and led him into the building, an arm around his waist possessively. 

Something about walking into that room made me feel as if I was walking on cloud nine. Nearly every head turned to watch Gerard, the most beautiful man in the room, and  _ my  _ man. I smiled at everyone politely, gently squeezing Gerard as he walked a little unsteadily towards the back of the room. I led him through a small door and kissed his cheek as I let go of his waist to take his hand instead. “Frankie? What's going on? Why was everyone staring at me?”

I looked up into Gerard's nervous, slightly fearful eyes, and kissed his cheek. “Shh. Relax, baby. Everyone is staring at you because you're stunning.”

I glanced down the corridor and sighed. “Apparently I have a dressing room or something I don't really need, but there might be a couch and food. You wanna come see?”

Gerard relaxed slightly, squeezing my hand lightly. “Sure..”

I walked Gerard down the corridor, noticing with a smile that he was barely using his cane. I pushed open a door with 302 written on it, gently pulling Gerard in after me. There was a fridge, a mirror and counter, and a couch and an armchair. “Hm. Not overly well decorated, but it'll do..”

Gerard chuckled softly and sat down on the couch, yawning as I opened the fridge door. “We should have gotten McDonald’s on the way down..”

I pulled out the plate of sandwiches and a bottle of coke, walking back to the couch and throwing myself down next to my husband. He grinned at me and I leaned over, kissing his cheek before unwrapping the cling film from the plate and offering it to him. He took a sandwich delicately and I grabbed one for myself, then set the plate down on the low table in front of the couch. 

“How come you have a dressing room?”

I shrugged and finished off my sandwich, opening the bottle of coke. “I dunno, I think they just gave one to everyone who’s doing a speech. I would normally mingle but I'm tired and I'd rather just sit here with you.”

“You look good in suits,” Gerard hummed, gently tugging at the collar of my jacket as I took a swig from the bottle. I chuckled and shook my head. 

“You think I look good in everything.”

“But you do!”

I didn't answer, instead offering him the bottle. He wrinkled his nose and I stared at him. 

“Frank cooties,” he explained with a completely deadpan expression. 

“Gerard, you kissed me  _ with tongue  _ after I ate my cum out of your ass earlier. I have brushed my teeth since then, would you like some fucking coke?”

He giggled and pecked my lips, taking the bottle and leaning against me happily. “You're a dick, I was trying to be funny.”

I grinned and nuzzled his cheek lightly. “Mhm. You were, don't worry. Y'know I haven't actually prepared this speech. Like I have cards, but I never really went through it.”

Gerard rolled his eyes and waved a hand. “So get the fuck on with practicing! Why are you telling me?”

I rolled my eyes back at him. “Because I thought my caring husband would comfort me and tell me it's gonna be okay.”

“I've never seen you do a speech before, how am I supposed to know you're not gonna royally fuck it up?”

“You are such an arse, Gerard Way.”

“Gerard Iero.”

I blinked at him. “Seriously?”

Gerard snorted. “Now who's the shitty husband? Yes, I took your name. That was part of the whole-” he waved his hand again irritably. “-thing.” 

“That's kinda cute.”

“It's a fucking shitty last name, Frank,” Gerard said flatly. 

“You are such a little shit tonight, what's gotten into you?”

Gerard rolled his eyes upwards. “Your cock.”

I groaned and he snickered, his nose wrinkling. 

“You gave me that one, Frank Anthony Iero!”

I sighed and gently took one of his hands, causing the smile to drop off his face as he realized he might have gone too far. 

“Gee, baby, I really love the sass, I do. But I was asking a serious question. What's changed?”

He relaxed again and purred, nuzzling my jaw happily. “I just...I don't know. I feel like I really can be silly with you now. Cause we’re...us. Not Gerard and Frank anymore, we’re  _ us. _ ” 

I smiled and brushed his hair behind his ears carefully. “Well, I like it. I like being silly with you..” 

Gerard took a deep breath and laid down on his back, his head in my lap comfortably. I took the coke back from him, placing it on the coffee table. “I don't trust you not to accidentally drown yourself.”

Gerard nodded. “Probably wise..”

I leaned over and kissed his forehead softly, then took my cards out of my pocket, reading through them quickly. “I thought I'd be coming to this on my own. Should I say something about you?”

Gerard pulled a face and shrugged. “S’up to you, but I'm not keen.”

“All the more reason to do it. But I'm talking about equality of genders and stuff...I feel like I should mention I have an omega husband. Like...isn't that hypocritical?”

“No, because you didn't marry me because I was an omega-”

“No, but-”

“Let me fucking finish! Jesus. You married me because your mom told you to marry me and she thought you should marry an omega. Right?”

I shrugged and sighed. “But I like the fact you're an omega.”

“Because you're designed to. You're an alpha, it's the way your brain and body are wired. It's not hypocritical, Frank, because you treat me as an equal. You never dreamed of hurting me or forcing me to do something. Fuck, I do  _ nothing  _ all day while you work. If anyone's a hypocrite, it's me.”

I leaned down again and pecked his lips softly. “But you'd get a job if you could.”

“Yes, I would. But...never mind, we’ll talk about that later.”

I pouted. “But I wanna talk about it now.”

“You don't know what it is.”

“It sounds important.”

“It's not.”

“So tell me.”

Gerard glared at me briefly, then sighed. “I want to go to college, but I can't pay for it.” 

“Neither can I, so hit up my mom. She likes you.”

I kissed his forehead once more. “I think it would be great for you to do that, baby. I’d support you all the way, I just honestly don't have the money right now. We should talk about this later.”

“I told you so, dickhead.”

“I know.”

I went back to my cards and Gerard rolled over, burying his face in my stomach with a soft groan. 

“I'm gonna mention you,” I hummed softly. “I want to, and I think it's important. Besides, I care about you and I'm proud of you, and I like showing you off to people.” 

Gerard giggled, but didn't say anything, wrapping his arms around me loosely. 

“You're a strange one, though.”

I heard the door click and Gerard sat up quickly as a man poked his head around the door. “Oh. Hi, Mr. Iero, you're on in five..”

I blinked. “Wow, okay. Would you mind finding my husband here a seat? I didn't realize he'd be able to make it tonight until this evening, sorry for the short notice.”

“Don't worry, we've had someone cancel anyway, we can arrange a seat right next to yours.”

“Thanks.”

I kissed Gerard's cheek and he got up, smiling at me. “I'm sure you'll do amazing, Frankie. See you soon.”

 

I stepped out onto the stage, clearing my throat before I got to the microphone. I could only really see the first two rows, but I spotted Gerard easily, as he was waving at me frantically. I chuckled to myself and stepped up to the podium. 

“Hi, everyone. I hope you're uh...having a good night. I'm sorry I haven't been around much to ‘mingle,’ but to be honest I don't know anyone here and I'm not much of a mingler. Anyway. As I've been asked to do a speech on the importance of gender equality in our society, I thought I'd bring along my husband, Gerard. He's the sweetest man I've ever met and I'm so glad to be able to call him mine, and that he's able to call me his. I did have a PowerPoint, but I forgot the USB stick, so sorry about that. Anyway, I suppose I'd better get on with it.”

I glanced at Gerard, noticing his huge grin and unable to bite back my own smile. I quickly pushed it away and looked out over the rest of the audience seriously.  

“Gender equality is a huge issue in our modern society. Seventy-one percent of omegas are sexually assaulted during their first year of having heats. By the time they're twenty, ninety-six percent have experienced some kind of sexual assault, while eighty-four percent have been raped. Most people would think that it's much better for betas, yes? Only about fifty percent of betas have heats, and so they're not as desirable. Sixty-eight percent of twenty year old betas say they have experienced sexual assault. That is atrocious. We  _ need  _ to solve this issue, and we need to solve it through education of our alpha students.”

I glanced at Gerard again and he was watching me intently, smiling slightly. 

“Omegas and betas grow up being told what to do in a case of sexual assault, and it's usually to do nothing. Why? Because many alphas become violent when faced with rejection. I know I've been guilty, and I'm sure most of the alphas in this room have done things they regret, at least in their teen years. Omegas and betas aren't the focus here. We can't teach them not to be assaulted if we don't work on our alphas first. This means a huge shift in our thinking, and yes it will be hard. I'm not saying it won't be, but we need to teach alphas from the moment they step onto our schoolyards that violent, aggressive, and entitled behaviors will not be tolerated. If we change the culture of our schools, we can change the culture of our nation."

"Omegas and betas should be taught that they don't have to put up with assault, or go through it alone. They should understand that it is not normal to be treated as lesser than, or as a sexual object. We need to begin teaching this in our schools through the way we interact with our children of all genders, and we need to teach these things in sexual education. I helped my school board change our sex ed to include information on sexual assault and rape laws, basic self defense, and control strategies to help alphas with high alpha instincts. It  _ can  _ be done, and it makes a difference. Forty-seven percent of omegas drop out of schools before they're sixteen, and the suicide rate for teenage omegas is still twelve percent. With your help and the help of school boards across the country, we can stop the drop-outs and the suicides. Once children can feel safe and happy at school, ratings will go up and there will be so many more children who are able to speak out for what they believe is right. I can't do it on my own, but together we can achieve equality in schools, and teach children how to truly respect one another. Thank you, and my website is in the program if you want to help out. Have a good night.”

I smiled as everyone clapped politely, and was about to step off the stage when a man walked onto the stage with a microphone. “Don't go yet, Frank. We have a surprise for you, come back here!”

I blinked and hurried back over to him as the head of the state school board walked out, grinning at me. “Frank Iero, everyone! He's made a huge difference in his school and come up with some amazing solutions and plans for issues we've been trying to deal with for years. Since he's made such a big difference, we wanted to award him with the New Jersey Teacher of the Year award, with a special mention. Congratulations and thank you for everything you've done!”

I blinked, swallowing hard as I was handed a framed certificate and a camera in front of me flashed. I blinked again, shaking a little as I hurried off stage. Before I even got close to the seats, Gerard slammed into me, wrapping his arms around me tightly as he buried his face in my neck. “F-Frankie!”

I chuckled softly and gently peeled him off me, frowning when I noticed he was crying. “Everything okay, baby?”

He nodded quickly and dragged me to the seat next to him, smiling at me through his tears. “I'm sorry, I'm just...it was a really nice speech a-and I'm r-really proud of you..”

I smiled brightly and pulled Gerard into a soft kiss, handing him a packet of tissues from my pocket as I broke away. “It's okay, baby.”

He sniffed, drying his eyes and resting his head on my shoulder, brushing his fingertips over the certificate. “You deserve this, Frankie..”

I slid my arm around his waist, kissing his forehead softly. “Thank you, Gee. Thanks for being here, I really didn't know..”

He giggled quietly. “You should have seen your face.”

I groaned softly and gently pulled him closer as they called up another person for some kind of award. “Shh now..”

 

I watched everything for a while, smiling to myself when I noticed Gerard was falling asleep against me. I kept an arm around his waist, watching the other people who got awards. Most of them were alphas, none of them were omegas, and none of them got a reaction anywhere close to Gerard’s from their significant others. A lot of the alphas barely even got a kiss on the cheek from their omegas. 

As soon as I noticed it, I watched for it, feeling more and more sick the more times I saw it. After about half an hour of watching miserable interactions between couples, I got fed up. I gently woke Gerard and we slipped out of the hall, walking into the main reception area quietly. Gerard stumbled a little and I kissed his cheek. “Hey, sleepy. Wake up a bit, yeah?”

“Mm...why are we leaving?”

“I'm fed up, baby, I'll explain in the car. I'm tired too, and you're exhausted and I just...I think we should get home.”

He smiled at me and pulled me into a brief, slightly sloppy kiss. “Let's go home, then.”

 

Gerard stripped to his boxers before climbing into bed with me, nuzzling up to me tiredly. 

“Hey, beautiful..”

He wriggled around a bit to get comfortable, then kissed my jaw softly. “Proud of you.”

“Mm. Thanks, baby.”

“Where are you gonna put it?”

I ran my fingers through his hair slowly, humming softly. “Probably in here somewhere. It's not like I have an office. They'll make a huge deal out of it when I go to work tomorrow,” I mumbled, sighing quietly. “I don't really like all the...fuss and attention. I just wanna get on with my job.”

“Oh...was I too much? Is that why you wanted to-”

“No, baby, no,” I murmured quickly, kissing his forehead and stroking his hair back from his face. “No, I loved your reaction, it was perfect and it made me really happy. I wanted to leave early because I saw so many alphas getting award who, when they went back to their seats, their omegas and betas wouldn't even like...smile at them. Like you were so so happy for me and so proud and they all just looked miserable. It just...it made me sad and I just wanted to go home and celebrate with a nice cuddle with you. It's not like I really knew anyone there.” 

Gerard nuzzled up to me. “No one stood up when you finished your speech. Except me.”

I shrugged and brushed my knuckles over his cheek lightly. “Mm. I don't think many people in the teaching community are ready for or even want that kind of change.” 

“It's sad.”

“Yep. But you made me happy, baby. It did make me realize what a perfect husband and mate I have.”

Gerard purred and kissed me softly, running his hand down my side to my hip and starting to rub slowly. “Baby, I-”

“Shh. Celebration, remember? Roll on your back..”

“No, baby, I'm too tired,” I groaned softly, gently pushing his hands away. “Please, I need to get some sleep with you.”

Gerard nodded and snuggled up to me again. “Okay. Maybe in the morning.”

“Maybe. Come on, cuddle with me. Make me sleepy.”

He chuckled and buried his face in my neck, tangling our legs together as he relaxed against me, his skin sticking to mine slightly. 

“Mm. Perfect..”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like this chapter! It's all fluff and smut so I'm assuming there won't be too many issues with it :)   
> Let me know what you think! I love reading all your thoughtful comments <3


	12. Chapter 12

**F**

Gerard was curled up in my lap, half asleep and making soft noises with each breath out. I started to play with his hair a little, twirling the soft black locks around my finger. We both jumped when Gerard's phone rang, and I leaned over the edge of the tub, picking it up carefully. Gerard dried his hands on a towel before putting the phone to his ear. 

“Hey?” He mumbled sleepily. I could hear Mikey's voice, a little tinny through the phone speaker. 

“Gerard, I...I'm really sorry. About all those things I said..”

Gerard leaned forward a little, rubbing his eyes with one hand. I started to stroke up and down his back slowly, comfortingly as he sighed. “Mikey, you were kinda mean...I've-”

“Please, Gerard, I'm so sorry! P-Pete left me..”

“Fuckin’ good,” Gerard said flatly, then sighed again. “Mikey, I'm glad you're not with that dick anymore, but are you okay?”

“I m-miss him.”

“I know, hon. I know. I miss Frank when he's at work, I can't imagine how you feel..”

I hesitated, then grinned to myself, carefully pulling Gerard into my lap again, purring as he leaned his back against my chest, the water sloshing around us. “I d-don't know wh-what to do with myself a-and he'll be at school a-and...he threatened me, Gee..”

“Then tell the police, sweetie,” Gerard murmured gently, kissing my jaw softly. “Do you need me and Frank to come pick you up for a while? You can stay here with us, Frank has a spare room for you.”

There was a short pause. 

“Mikes, Frank was only angry because he was protecting me and-”

“I know. I'm sorry, I just...I'm guessing he knows I said shitty things about him and I'm...nervous.”

Gerard looked up at me and I shrugged. 

“Mikey, I'm sitting in-...I'm sitting with him right now, he's saying he's happy for you to come over. He says he understands.”

I nodded and gave Gerard a thumbs up.

“O-okay...maybe tomorrow m-morning?”

I winced and Gerard sighed. “Evening would be better, so Frank can go to work. Fake being sick.”

“Alright. I'll um. See you then..”

“Yeah, text me if you need anything else, Mikes. Love you.”

Gerard hung up and put the phone back on the counter carefully. “Sorry about that.”

“What?”

“Answering the phone in our quiet moment.”

“It's fine, beautiful. It was your brother, you're allowed to interrupt quiet moments for him.”

I nuzzled Gerard's jaw, pressing soft kisses to his neck and purring as he tilted his head away slightly. 

“Mm. Alpha..”

I felt something stir in my stomach and growled softly, gripping Gerard's hips lightly. He smirked at me and kissed me deeply, pulling away only to murmur against my lips. “Alpha..”

~

I carried the towel-wrapped Gerard back to bed, glad I’d been doing more weights at the gym as I set him down gently, kissing his forehead. He let out a soft whine and nuzzled the pillow. I just smiled and tucked him in under the blanket, but not before checking the bite mark on Gerard's side. No one would ever debate my claim to him, not with a mark that dark, as it was healing almost black. 

I sat down on the edge of the bed, stroking up and down his side slowly as he drifted off into a deeper sleep, relaxing completely. “I love you, baby. So so much..”

I leaned over and kissed his forehead, stroking his hair gently. “My beautiful baby..”

~~~

Brendon flicked a bit of paper at me, glancing towards the corner, where Gerard and Pat were curled up by the fire and chatting happily. 

“I keep telling him when he's asleep,” I mumbled, leaning back in my chair. “I feel like such a pussy.”

“He's gotta be waiting for you to say it to him. He can't be dumb enough to not realize how deep he is in it.”

“Of course he's not dumb,” I snapped, then sighed, forcing myself to relax. “I don't even know what I'm scared of. He's been like...all over me. Cuddles constantly, begging for...intimacy. I've barely been able to get any work done...I'm just stupid, I guess.”

“You'll get there,” Brendon soothed quietly. “When are you picking Mikey up?”

“We gotta leave in about ten minutes,” I sighed, sipping at my coffee and watching Gerard. “He cried when I got the Teacher of the Year thing. He like ran to give me a hug, it was adorable. He was so invested in the speech I gave and everything..”

“Because he  _ loves  _ you!” Brendon gasped desperately. “God, Frank, you're not in middle school anymore! Grow a pair and tell the guy you love him.”

Gerard glanced over, smiling at me brightly. I blew him a kiss and he giggled shyly, ducking his head. 

“I'm just...I'm scared he's infatuated, not...in love, y'know?”

Brendon shook his head slowly. “No, he's really truly into you. He looks at you like nothing else in the whole fucking world matters more to him than you. When he's all anxious around people, as soon as you touch him, it's like he's immediately calm. You do things for him that no one else can, and he's your mate. Didn't he say he wanted to be in love before he first mated? Just get on with it. Tell him you love him and give him one of those shitty teddy bears holding a heart and a box of chocolates.”

“That's tacky.”

“So tell him you love him and fuck him through the mattress. That works too.”

“You give the  _ worst _ advice, Brendon.”

“And yet you keep asking me for it.” 

I shrugged and sighed. “Guess I just like making shitty choices. Look, I’d better start making a move, it takes Gerard ten minutes to walk to the car from here, bless him.”

Brendon chuckled softly. “He's doing so much better, though.”

“I know, right? He doesn't see it, but he's so much steadier on his feet and the scar is filling out so much...I'm really excited for him.”

“Well, best of luck. I'm sure he'll keep getting better, he seems tough. I'll see you soon, yeah?”

“Yeah, lemme go say goodbye to Pat. I'll call you again soon.”

~

I watched in the rearview mirror as Mikey got into the car. He had a cast and sling on his arm, and a black eye, and wouldn't look towards me at all. 

“Hey, Mikey.”

He didn't answer me and Gerard got into the car, rubbing my arm gently and leaning over to whisper in my ear while I started the engine. 

“Pete took everything out on him. He feels guilty for being upset that you hurt Pete and gave him a reason to hit him.”

“But-”

“I know, just...be nice. Us Way boys are fragile.”

I smiled a little sadly and slid my hand down Gerard's thigh as I pulled away from the curb. My husband parted his legs just slightly and I started to rub a little higher, right on the inside of his thigh, my fingers just brushing the small, soft bulge in his jeans. He glanced in the rearview mirror and I got the message, just laying my hand there lightly. 

“Mikey, did you bring enough clothes?”

“Yes, Gerard.”

“Do you wanna talk about anything?”

“Not right now..”

I squeezed Gerard's thigh gently as he sighed in mild frustration. “Mikey, look. I'm sorry if what I did put you in a bad situation. I honestly wasn't thinking about you, I was thinking about myself and Gerard...probably mostly myself. And I didn't realize that you'd get dragged in. I can't apologize enough, and I completely understand that you were angry with me, I would have been angry too.”

“Did you fuck my brother? He smells like you.”

Gerard and I both tensed at the slightly hostile response. 

“Michael James Way, you-”

“It's okay, Gee, it's alright,” I murmured quickly, pulling the car over and looking at Mikey in the mirror. “Yes. Gerard and I mated. It was consensual and I made sure he was as comfortable as possible. I don't think he has any regrets, he hasn't told me about any..”

Gerard chuckled softly and nodded. “You don't have to be worried, Mikes. We’re just fine, okay? Better than fine.”

Mikey looked away, sinking down in his seat slightly. “Whatever. You've got your pit bull now, Gee. You don't need me.”

Gerard gasped and shook his head quickly. “Out of the fucking car right now, Michael!”

Mikey growled and wrenched the door open, slamming it behind him as he stalked off a couple paces. I grabbed Gerard's arm gently. “Don't be too hard on him, baby. I'm not offended, not at all, and he's...he's clearly not himself.”

Gerard smiled sadly and nodded slightly, pecking my lips. “I know, he just needs a little bit of shouting so he’ll drop the angry teenager act. I know what I'm doing, Frankie.”

“Okay.”

I smiled softly and squeezed his wrist lightly before letting go and watching him get out of the car. I tugged my phone out for a few minutes, scrolling through Facebook quietly. 

I heard the door open and Gerard got into the backseat, smiling at me sadly as Mikey got in on the other side, sniffling. I nodded slightly and started the car again, driving off quietly. 

~

Gerard leaned over the back of the couch, kissing my cheek softly. “Hey, Frankie. Mikey’s asleep, he's...not doing so well, Pete kinda...he did the same thing to Mikey as he did to me, he just...Mikey's not as equipped to deal with it..”

I hummed and carefully pulled him around to sit next to me, squeezing his hand gently as he laced our fingers. “Did it happen to you before Pete?” I asked as gently as I could, watching him shift to get comfortable. 

“Yeah...who told you?”

“Chris.”

Gerard nodded slightly, looking down at his hands. “Uh. I don't want to talk about it, I-”

“It was a while ago, yeah. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, baby. Don't worry.”

He smiled at me, his eyes not really joining in as he leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Thanks, Frankie. Maybe another time. I just...I'm worried about Mikey. Dad called the police and Pete’s gonna go to prison, I think. Mikey...he just feels like he's not really a person anymore, y'know?”

I nodded slightly and sighed. “We should get Pat to come over for a while tomorrow. He cheers everyone up, and he's only nineteen, he's basically the same age as Mikey.”

“Really? He seems more..” Gerard trailed off, looking away slightly as he tried to find the right word. 

“I know what you mean, but yeah. He's my youngest friend, but Mikey might feel more comfortable with someone his age, and who's been through similar stuff.”

Gerard grimaced and nodded slightly. “I hate the thought of Pat dealing with that shit.”

I took a deep breath and nodded. “He tried to kill himself when he was seventeen, but Brendon found out and stopped him. I think that's why he's such an overly positive person now, he's like...compensating.”

“That's really fucking sad.” 

I shrugged and rubbed the heel of my hand against my forehead. “Yeah, but unfortunately I hear about all this kind of stuff at work constantly. It's not...it's not like it's rare. Anyway. I'll text Pat and chat to him, and we’ll see if we can cheer Mikey up a bit.”

Gerard nodded and snuggled up to me happily, rubbing my thigh lightly. “He just needs time and friends around him. Can't rush this stuff.”

I shook my head slightly and gently batted Gerard's hand off my thigh before pushing my fingers in between his legs and effectively resting my hand on his upper thigh. He blinked at me, but spread his legs a little, letting my fingers brush over his crotch. “Alpha..” He muttered, burying his face in my neck and spreading his legs wide, eager. 

I chuckled and nuzzled his cheek, rubbing the inside of his thigh and teasing him with occasional touches to the growing bulge in his jeans. “Mm, my baby,” I murmured softly, starting to palm him through his jeans, grinding the heel of my hand against his shaft lightly. He shuddered and pressed his face against my neck a little harder, trying to keep quiet as his breath hitched. 

“That's it,” I hummed encouragingly, watching him buck as I moved my hand back to his in inner thigh. “Imagine what I'm gonna do to you when Mikey's out of the house, baby..”

“T-tell me..”

I grinned and started to unbuckle his belt. “Hmm, well. I'd probably start by undressing you, nice and slow..” I stroked up both his thighs, then carefully guided him to shuffle into my lap, straddling me more comfortably. “Then I'd run my hands all over you and tell you how fucking perfect and sexy you are...and then I'd spread your legs..”

I undid the button and zip, reaching into his jeans to rub lightly at the tip of his cock. Gerard bit back a moan, whimpering softly instead. “F-Frankie..”

“Oh baby, I'd push myself into that perfect tight hole of yours and fill you up, make you feel complete..”

I pulled the waistband of his boxers down slowly, grinning at the little sigh he let out as his cock came free of the hot fabric. I reached in and pulled his balls out as well, playing with them lightly with one hand as I ran my other up his chest under his shirt. “I'd push you up so you were on your knees, chest against the headboard, and I'd pound you until you screamed and begged to cum, but I wouldn't let you..” 

I smirked and slapped his ass through his jeans gently, then brushed my thumb over his tip, watching as he bucked up. 

“That's it. I'd cum in your ass so deep you'd feel it in your stomach, and then I'd clean us up and put a cock ring on you, baby...and push into you again, fuck you raw until you were so weak you couldn't even beg to cum anymore..”

Gerard was trembling now, his eyes closed and his forehead a little sweaty. “F-Frankie…alpha...alpha, please touch me..”

I kept massaging his balls, but left his cock alone, now curious to see if he was close to cumming untouched. There was a lot of precum pooling in my lap, and the way he was shaking gave me some hope. 

“And then I'd take it off and fuck you so sweet and slow you'd be cumming the whole time, that pretty body pinned under mine while I made you shake..”

Gerard's eyes rolled back and he whimpered again. 

“Gerard, I'm gonna fuck you until you can't remember what fucking day it is and just keep filling you up until you can't feel it anymore..”

“P-please..” Gerard managed, just before he jerked his hips and started to cum. I grabbed a cup from the coffee table and held it over his cock, catching as much of the sticky white liquid as I could, not wanting to leave giveaway stains everywhere. 

“That's it, what a good omega,” I purred, wrapping my hand around him and pumping slowly as he finished off. Once I was satisfied he was done, I wiped his tip with my thumb and licked it off, then set the cup aside and purred as he collapsed against my chest, panting softly. 

“Please do all that to me...please, Frankie.”

“Baby, I can't right now because I love making you scream and I don't want to scar Mikey for life, but we will as soon as we get some time alone, yeah? Do you like toys like cock rings and dildos and all that?”

Gerard grinned against my neck, nodding slightly. “David used to make me wear a chastity cage, but it was actually kinda fun..”

“I think that's a little far for me, but I'm not above spanking and denial.”

Gerard kissed my jaw softly, resting his hand on my chest. “Mm. Good, it sounds like fun..”

He slipped off my lap suddenly, kneeling on the ground and patting the edge of the couch. “Come here, Frankie. An orgasm for an orgasm..”

“But-”

“I want to, Frankie..”

I decided not to argue too much and slid forward, purring as Gerard undid my jeans and pulled my junk out of my boxers with a happy gasp. 

“Someone likes seeing me cum..”

I chuckled softly. “I wonder who it could be.”

Gerard smirked and wrapped his lips around me, pulling me in all the way without any apparent effort. I groaned softly and put a hand on the back of his head, pushing him down a little further, pressing his nose to my stomach and forcing myself as deep into his throat as I could get. Gerard swallowed hard and I tipped my head back. 

~

Pat arrived early the next morning. Gerard and I were still wandering around in our pajama bottoms, but Gerard let him in anyway, pulling him into a quick hug. “Hey.”

Pat smiled as he pulled away, then blinked when he saw my mark on Gerard's side. “Holy shit. That's a good one.”

Gerard grinned and nodded slightly. “Yep. He's all mine.”

I walked over and Pat gave me a quick hug as well. “So what's going on exactly? All I know is that Mikey's broken up with his alpha and doesn't feel well..”

Gerard blinked and I left them to catch up, going into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. I heard quiet footsteps behind me and glanced around to Mikey. “Hey, you want some coffee?”

“Who's here?”

“Patrick. He wanted to come over and check on you.”

“Not in the mood.”

“Too bad,” Gerard said quietly from the doorway. “Patrick came a long way today, and he did it to talk to you. Don't be rude.” 

I sighed softly as Mikey glared at Gerard. “If you don't want coffee, please leave the kitchen.” 

Gerard pouted at me briefly and I rolled my eyes, handing over two mugs. “The one with milk is for Pat, okay?”

He nodded and slipped out, Mikey trailing after him moodily. 

I made myself a cup, carrying it into the living room. Gerard was sitting on the couch, Mikey and Patrick sat in the armchairs. 

“So what's your ambitions for college?” Pat was asking kindly, smiling at Mikey in a soft, comforting way. 

Mikey looked down and shrugged. “I kinda...wanna go to school for music, but Pete said-”

He cut himself off, color rising in his cheeks. 

“Well, I think you should. If you've got the talent and drive, I'm sure you'll be able to do it..”

I sat down next to Gerard, wrapping my arm around his shoulders tightly as I nuzzled his jaw lightly. He gently pushed me away, holding his coffee away from him and glaring at me. “You'll make me spill.”

“Whatever.”

I stroked his cheek and he chuckled, pulling me into a soft kiss. “Mm. Baby..”

I looked up and Pat giggled. Mikey wrinkled his nose. 

“Sorry,” I mumbled, shifting uncomfortably and pulling Gerard a little closer into my side. 

He chuckled again and kissed my cheek lightly. “How about you come help me with my physical therapy exercises? I need help with that one stretch.”

I nodded quickly and gratefully, hurriedly following Gerard upstairs. As soon as we got to the bedroom, Gerard set his mug down on the bedside table. “Lock the door,” he mumbled casually. I blinked, but did as I was told, turning around to find Gerard already naked and climbing into bed. He slipped suddenly and squealed softly as he nearly fell off the bed, twisting his bad leg in the process. I hurried over, gently pushing him all the way back onto the bed and laying his leg out for him. He was shaking slightly now, his face hidden behind his hands. I sighed and kicked my pajama bottoms away, but left my boxers on. 

“How bad?”

Gerard sniffled as I climbed up next to him, resting my hand on his good thigh. “B-bad. It's fading..”

“Good.”

I gently tugged him down so he was laying with his head on the pillow, purring as I spread his legs slightly. “Frankie, I'm not...in the mood..”

“S’okay..” 

I crouched low to the bed and started kissing up Gerard's thighs, peppering his pale, smooth skin with gentle pecks. “Mm, Gee. My omega..”

He giggled softly and relaxed happily, closing his eyes as I kissed up his body, stroking his skin slowly as I went, just lavishing attention on him. It took a while, but when I finally got to his lips, I pulled him into the slowest, sweetest kiss I could, stroking up and down his bare sides. 

“You're so stunning, and you're all mine,” I grinned against his lips just before pulling away. Gerard purred, his eyes still closed. 

“Frankie..”

I laid down next to him, stroking his chest slowly, up and down. “How do you think Pat and Mikey are doing?” 

“Well they have met before and they were chatting okay then..” 

I nodded, smiling as Gerard rolled over and nuzzled me, throwing a leg over my hips. “They'd be cute together, do you think they'll hit it off?”

“I dunno, Frank. I hope so, I think Pat would be good for Mikey.”

“Should we go see how they're doing?”

“Ten more minutes,” Gerard mumbled, shifting even closer to me. 

 

When we went downstairs, Mikey was curled up on the couch, his head in Pat’s lap as he slept peacefully. Pat was stroking his hair slowly, his other hand on the younger boy’s side. He looked up at us as we stepped in and smiled. 

“He says he hasn't been sleeping well.”

“How did it go?” Gerard asked, letting go of my hand and stepping forward slightly. 

Patrick grinned and nodded. “Really well, he opened up a bit and cuddled with me for a few minutes before he drifted off. I was thinking that I could take him off your hands, Frank. I know it's a busy time for you at work, and I think he'd be happy to stay with me for a while. And he'd still be really close by if you wanted to see him anytime, Gerard.”

I smiled slightly and rubbed my husband’s shoulder as he looked back at me. “It's up to you and Mikey, Gee. I'm happy either way, but I think it would be better for Mikey to stay with Pat for a while.”

Gerard nodded slightly and ran a hand through his hair. “If Mikey likes the idea, then I'm totally happy.” 

~~~

Gerard crawled over me, falling against my chest. “We have the house to ourselves now.”

I grunted and kept reading, holding the book away slightly so Gerard wouldn't knock it out of my hand. 

“Frank, baby..” 

He sighed and got up, stripping off his shirt and pajama bottoms before climbing back onto the bed and straddling my chest. I glanced at him, but had to look back, to take in his semi-hard cock straining slightly at the thin, white lace panties. There was a small wet spot by the tip of his dick. 

He took a deep breath and hooked his thumb over the top of them, slowly pulling them down until I could see the shiny ring wrapped around his perfect cock. I put my book down and reached out to touch him, but Gerard slipped away quickly, standing up and turning away from me as he pulled the panties down slowly, bending over to take them off and showing off the butt plug buried in his ass. He walked over to the dresser and opened a drawer, then tossed me the small remote.

I watched as he walked back to me, climbing onto the bed and stroking my cheek. “Play with me, alpha. I'm your pretty little slave for tonight.”

I groaned softly and quickly turned the vibrator up to level two, watching as Gerard's back arched and he gasped, then purred happily, rolling his hips back and forth slowly as he tried to find the best angle for pleasure. I got up and went into the closet, pulling down a large plastic box. I dragged it over to the bed and opened it, pulling out some ropes and wrist and ankle protectors. 

“Hands, baby.”

Gerard held his hands out obediently and I slid the elasticated fabric cuffs down over his wrists, making sure they fit fairly snugly. 

I did the same with his ankles, then pushed him down on his stomach. “I'm gonna tie you spread out, okay? I'm gonna leave a bit more room for your bad leg, and you gotta tell me if it’s hurting you, okay?”

Gerard nodded, pulling a pillow under his head and spreading out for me obligingly, still rolling his hips against the bed lightly, trying to find friction. 

I tied him to the bed frame carefully, stroking his back as he shuddered. 

“All done, beautiful.”

I grabbed the remote and cranked the vibrator up to five, watching Gerard writhe and moan, humping the bed and tugging at the restraints around his wrists. I glanced down at the remote and hummed to myself. If five was this amazing…

I flicked it up to ten and Gerard screamed, shaking as he tugged harder at the restraints, trying to get up as he panted heavily. I took pity on him and turned it back down to six, watching as he rutted against the bed desperately. 

“A-alpha!”

I slipped my shirt off and kicked away my pajamas and boxers, letting my already hard cock spring free. I climbed onto the bed and knelt in front of Gerard's head, pumping the base of my cock. He got the message and opened his mouth, smiling slightly as I slid in slowly. I couldn't get too deep into him with that angle, so I let him suck my tip happily, pumping around my base. 

I grabbed the remote and clicked up to seven, groaning as Gerard's body jolted and he moaned happily around my cock. I pulled out of his mouth quickly and grabbed the remote again, cranking it up to ten and watching Gerard as he tugged at the ropes, gasping and whining. I gripped the end of the plug and started to pull, angling it slightly so I knew it pressed against his prostate the whole time I was pulling it, painfully slowly. “Good boy.”

I finally tugged out the last of the huge plug and Gerard collapsed, shuddering. 

“A-alpha! I g-gotta cum, please! It hurts..”

“Good.”

I opened the box and pulled out the biggest dildo I had, long and flexible and very thick. “You have to be a very good boy to cum..”

Gerard whimpered and buried his face in the pillow. I untied the wrist restraints and slapped his side. “Stand on your knees.”

He did as told, shivering slightly. I lubed up the massive dildo and spread his cheeks before ramming it into him without warning. He cried out, but took it easily, without any apparent pain. I pushed it about halfway in to start with, then slowly filled him up with the rest, watching his belly fill out as he took the whole thing without protest. 

“Such a good boy.”

I untied his ankle ropes and helped him off the bed, watching as he tried to walk normally, too full to manage it. I led him into the bathroom and took the dildo out of him. I handed it to him and grinned. “Stick the suction cup on the end to the tiles wherever you like and fuck yourself. If you put on a good show, I'll let you cum on it.”

Gerard nodded and kissed my cheek, sticking it to the floor and climbing onto it, wincing as he bent his knees. I crouched down, helping him sink down gently. He was still my baby, even if we were being kinky, and I couldn't let him injure his sore leg. He smiled his thanks and I pecked his lips quickly before stepping back, watching him. He knelt on the floor, his back arching as he pushed himself up as far as he could go and sank down again, his eyes rolling back in his head as he moaned happily. 

“Alpha..”

I watched him, watched his sweet face twist in pleasure as the dildo pressed into him, watched how hard he tried to please me. I knew he wasn't really doing it for the orgasm. He was doing it because I was watching. 

I knelt in front of him and unclipped the cock ring, kissing him softly. He pulled away and I reached around, pulling the dildo off the tiles. Gerard climbed half into my lap, holding my shoulders as I started to fuck him roughly, grinning as he whined and moaned, rutting against my lap and ultimately against my cock. His body shuddered after only a handful of thrusts and he came all over my junk, his mouth open against my neck as he whined softly. I grinned and stroked down his back. 

“What a good boy..”

I stood up and Gerard pushed the dildo back into himself, kneeling in front of me. He cleaned his own cum off and took me into his mouth, barely bobbing his head twice before I came down his throat. He collapsed and I turned the shower on, then pulled him into my arms, grinning as he giggled breathlessly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some news on Mikey and a little smut...  
> I'm halfway through chapter 16 and I'm plotting this huge twist to come up soon after that...I feel like doing an evil laugh but it's not even like a nasty twist..idk I'm exhausted. I hope you enjoyed this one!


	13. Chapter 13

**M**

Pat grinned at me, pulling me into a brief hug. “Good morning! It's so nice to have you here..”

I rubbed my eyes, shivering a bit. “You'd better let me take the couch tonight.”

Pat waved a hand, going back to the breakfast he was making. “No, you're still..” He looked at me and sighed. “You still look like you need the rest. Have you still got bruises?”

I glared at the floor, shuffling my feet slightly. “Yeah.”

“How's your arm feeling?”

“Itchy.”

“When do you get the cast off?”

“I don't fucking know.”

Patrick glanced at me, eyebrows raised, then shrugged and tipped the bacon onto a plate. “It's probably not too much longer.”

“What do you do?” 

He looked up and smiled. “I'm in university right now, I'm an English major. But I work um….well, I don't know how much Frank has told you about me..”

He trailed off, watching me worriedly. I shrugged, vaguely irritated. “Fuck all. All I know is that you're his friend and you've been through...what I've been through.”

Patrick sighed and nodded, getting a plate of pancakes out of the oven carefully. “I'm an escort, it's the only way I can pay for uni. I'm easing out of it now, working more in bussing tables, but it doesn't pay anywhere near as well.”

I shoved my hands in my pockets. “Okay.”

He blinked at me. “You're..you're not like...surprised?”

“Uh. Don't tell Gerard this, but um. I owed Pete some money a while back and he was really...pressing me for it so...yeah. I have friends who work in the industry.”

“Seriously? And you..”

I shook my head quickly, feeling the blush rise. “No, I don't do it anymore, it was really just a one-time thing. But I know...I know it's pretty much the only decently paying job omegas can get, and I'm not judgy about it.”

Patrick grinned and nodded. “It's how I met Frank, actually. I tried to uh...y'know. Get him interested, and he was there with Bob, when they were dating. He was so polite about it and turned me down, but he gave me his number in case I ever needed somewhere to crash. I was kind of bouncing from place to place at the time so it was a really nice gesture.” 

“He dated Bob? I can't imagine them together..”

Pat started to serve up plates, smiling to himself. “Yeah, they were cute actually. Frank wasn't in such a good place at the time and Bob really took good care of him..”

“What kind of not good place?”

He looked at me and raised an eyebrow. “You're really eager to talk about things that don't involve you, huh?”

I gulped and he grinned. “I'm kidding, Mikey, don't worry. If it helps you get comfortable, it's fine. Just don't...I'm telling you this stuff in confidence and I’d rather you didn't go ahead and pass it all onto Gerard without talking to Frank first, yeah?”

I nodded slightly and shrugged. “Well, if I think...if I think it's going to hurt Gerard..”

Pat handed me a plate and shook his head. “This was a few years ago, Frank...he's grown up a lot, he's not the same...but yeah, he used to have an alcohol problem..” 

He walked to the kitchen table and sat down, so I followed him quietly. “How bad?”

“He nearly lost his job, but Bob helped him like..redirect everything. That's how he got so so involved in tutoring and all that. It all came from..” He waved a hand. “..that. He has an addictive personality, y'know? He hasn't touched anything alcoholic for four years now..”

“You met him four years ago?”

“Five, and yes, I was working as an escort when I was fourteen...but Frank...he just throws himself into everything headfirst. Including relationships, and then he gets like...I dunno. Addicted to people. Very clingy, very...involved.”

I chuckled softly and started cutting up my pancakes. “Sounds like Gerard. I'm pretty sure he's addicted to his pain pills, the only reason he doesn't take more than one a day is that they're regulated and he could get arrested..” 

“I kinda figured. I think Frank said they're gonna start cutting his pain meds down soon so that might be fun.”

I nodded and shoved a bite of breakfast into my mouth quickly. “He's trying his best.”

“I'm sure he is. Frank...Frank's in love with him, y'know..”

I blinked and shrugged, poking at my pancakes with my fork. “I um. Wouldn't know..”

Pat frowned, leaning over and rubbing my shoulder gently. “What do you mean?”

I leaned away slightly, pulling a face. “I um...I thought Pete was in love with me...but I guess I didn't know how to tell..”

Patrick got up quickly, pulling me into a hug. “I'm sorry, Mikey...I'm sorry, but it's not your fault.” 

I sniffed, pulling away gently and sighing softly. “I'm...okay, I think. I just...I'm worried about Gerard.”

He smiled and stroked my hair back from my face. “Gerard is fine, I promise. Frank's an expert on taking care of people, and he  _ loves  _ cuddling with Gerard.”

“But...they..”

Patrick chuckled and shook his head, rubbing the side of his head. “Gerard's given me more details on that than I wanted and I promise you that it was well timed and Frank was good to him, okay? I promise you don't need to worry about Gerard. Worry about yourself for a change. Worry about making Mikey Way happy. You deserve that. What do you wanna do today?”

“Well, I have a couple weeks off school, so probably not much..”

Pat sat down again in his chair, smiling at me. “There's this fair going on a few miles away, they have some good food places, maybe we could go have a look around? Keep your mind off stuff..”

I shrugged and sighed. “Sure..” 

~

Patrick smiled as I sat down next to him. 

“Better for a nap?”

I nodded, smiling slightly. “Yeah, thanks. Have you heard anything from Gerard?”

He shook his head, starting to rub my back gently. “No, but Frank sent me a message to ask if you were doing alright. He wanted to make sure you didn't feel like he didn't want you there.”

I looked down and sighed. “No, it's...fine, it was just awkward, y'know?”

“Yeah, I know. You're always welcome here, Mikey. I know it's a tiny flat and I know I come and go a lot, but if you ever need me, I'm here.”

I smiled shyly and glanced up before looking down at my lap. “Pat..?”

“Yeah, Mikey?”

“I've...I've only ever been kissed by Pete..”

Patrick chuckled and gently lifted my chin, pulling me into a soft kiss. I blinked, but quickly closed my eyes and leaned into it, touching Pat’s jaw lightly. He broke away first, grinning at me and stroking my cheek slowly. “You're a good kisser, Mikes..”

I blinked and he kissed my forehead quickly. “It's okay, no need to be embarrassed, it's just kissing.”

“Yeah, but-”

“You and I have different outlooks on it, I know. I've been in sex work since I was thirteen. But...I feel like I should clarify. I'm not a hooker, I'm an  _ escort.  _ I get paid thousands for a night, women and men, and I go to dinners and things. It's not like quickies in allies, not anymore.”

I blinked again and sighed. “I didn't ask you..”

“I know..” Pat looked down and shrugged. “I just...I feel dirty some days, that's all. Especially around people so...pure.”

I snorted and he chuckled, rubbing my shoulder gently. 

“I know, Mikey. But it's all relative..” 

I leaned into him slightly and he smiled at me, rubbing the outside of my thigh. “Are you looking for another alpha or are you just waiting for a while?”

I rested my head on his shoulder tentatively. “No...I want someone, kind of. But...I'm not sure I'm looking for an alpha..”

Patrick grinned. “You're uh...a beta, yeah?”

“Mhm.”

“That's cool. I know a lot of betas who refuse omegas..”

“That's dumb,” I hummed softly. “Every omega I've met has been super sweet and cute and funny..” 

Pat giggled softly and rested his head against mine. “Mm. I've never wanted an alpha, y'know. Never. Not even like Frankie. I just want another omega or a nice calm quiet beta. I don't like the attitude of most alphas and I don't...I don't wanna be claimed or mated with. I don't even have heats.”

“Wait, seriously?”

“Yeah,” Patrick murmured. “There's something kinda...wrong with me. I don't go into heat. I'm fertile and all that, but I just don't...I'm glad, really.” 

I nodded slightly. “It's so hard for Gee. It's really painful for him.”

“I know, it's horrible. Especially if you can't afford the meds...anyway, betas suit me just fine. I have a lot of alpha clients, though. Unfortunately.”

I smiled to myself, pushing my glasses up my nose. “Like me?”

“Mhm. You're just my type,” Patrick purred softly, resting a hand on my knee. “You're quiet, but cute and kind. A little moody. And I love your eyes..”

I felt my cheeks heating up and looked down quickly, just as an alarm on Pat's watch went off. He got up, flashing me a brief smile. “I gotta go to work, I'll see you soon.”

“Uh, yeah. Bye, Pat.”

He waved and the door shut behind him with a soft click.

~

“H-Hey Mikes,” Gerard mumbled, panting softly. I could hear Frank talking quietly in the background. 

“Hi,” I said slowly. “Is that Frank?”

“Yeah, he's ordering dinner.”

“It's nine.”

“And? I'm hungry.”

“You're such a pig, Gee,” I chuckled teasingly, laying back in the bed. 

“Mhm..” 

There was a soft noise, a kissing noise. “All done, beautiful.”

“Thanks, Frankie. What'd you wanna talk about, Mikey?” 

I swallowed hard and sighed. “Uh. Pat, actually. You guys are trying to set me up with him, right?”

Gerard hesitated, but not for long. “Yeah, I just want you to know how it feels to be happy with someone, that's all,” he murmured gently. “And Pat’s a real sweetheart.”

“Yeah..”

“You don't sound so sure, what's going on?”

“Do you uh...do you know what Pat does for work?”

“No.”

“He's an escort. Like...sex work. And like...if I was gonna be friends with him, it wouldn't bother me, y'know? But if I wanted anything more..”

“It would be a little off-putting,” Gerard finished quietly. “I can see that. Is it a temporary thing or..?”

“He's been doing it since he was thirteen,” I mumbled, covering my eyes with one hand. “That bothers me, I guess. That he was so young. Not like..I like him less for it, it's just in the back of my mind now when I talk to him, that he had to start so young..”

“I know what you mean,” Gerard sighed softly. “Look, Mikey, if he's not the one for you, then he's not. But if you guys can become good friends, then you have another friend. Win-win, right?”

I hummed agreement and sighed. “Pat also told me some stuff about Frank's past, I kinda feel like you should know about it, but it's not my place to tell you. Ask him about it, like around the time he met Pat, what was going on in his life..”

“Okay. Do I wanna know?”

I chuckled softly as I rolled onto my side. “No, it's not that bad. He's not an axe murderer. It's more something I think you could help him with.”

“Alright. Frank uh...Frank has this other friend named Bob, I think you met him at the party. He thought you were cute, do you want me to give him your number? Frank says he's super nice..”

I blinked and bit my lip hard. “I don't wanna hurt Pat’s feelings..”

“Just tell him you're trying to figure out what you want and you're finding it hard at the moment. Frank has a whole list of dudes he knows that he thinks you'd like..”

I snorted and ran a hand through my hair. “Like who?”

“Uh..” Gerard hesitated, humming to himself. “Apparently Chris has this friend Angelo who's nice. He's an alpha and he used to date Ricky, but he's single now. He's a tattoo artist I think. Seems nice. Angelo was the first guy Chris thought of..”

“Chris has some weird friends though,” I pointed out quietly. 

“True. Well, Bob broke up with Ray recently, so Ray is single as well, he's a beta. And then there's Brendon..”

“You don't sound like you like him.”

“Let's say he doesn't have the same control Frank does. I met him when I was still on the tail of my heat and he wouldn't stop staring at me. He's been okay since, I'm just a little wary.”

“How is he as a person, though?” I pressed gently. “Are you judging a book by the cover again?”

“Probably,” Gerard chuckled softly. “He seems nice, not overly attitude-y for an alpha. Him and Pat are good friends, I think. Look, I think you should start by meeting Bob..”

“Can I think about it?”

Gerard paused and I heard Frank's voice again. “Sorry, Mikes, Frank was telling me something. Of course you can, yeah? Talk to Pat, too. Explain what's going on in your head and he’ll help out, I'm sure.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

“No problem. I love you, I'm here if you need to talk.”

“I know. Love you too.” 

~~~

Brendon sat down across from me, smiling softly. “Hey. You look...nervous.”

“I might be sick,” I answered honestly, cracking a tiny smile. He grinned in response. 

“I don't bite, I promise. I'm uh...I'm the same age as Gerard, I just thought I should make that clear..”

“Thanks. I'm all legal now, so..”

“Sure, sure, I just want to make sure you're comfortable.”

I ducked my head, cursing to myself silently as I felt my cheeks going red. 

“I expect you probably get this a lot, but you're definitely the hot one of the family. Don't tell Frank I said so, though, or he’ll stab me.”

I shook my head slightly. “I usually get the opposite.”

“Ah. Well, Gerard is pretty, and I guess that's for some people. I'm not so into pretty, not like Frank is.” 

I cleared my throat quietly. “Are you saying I'm not pretty?”

Brendon chuckled and nodded. “I'm saying that you're not as pretty as your brother. But you're more handsome.”

I knew the blush was outrageous by now and just sighed. “Thanks.”

“You're welcome. And it wasn't just a line, in case you were wondering. I love the glasses and the dyed hair. It suits you.” 

“You look better in glasses than I do..”

Brendon smiled at me brightly and leaned his elbows on the table. “And you look like you could be thirsty. What would you like to drink?” 

“Um, just coke is fine, thank you.” 

Brendon got up and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, ducking my head slightly. 

I felt a hand on my shoulder a minute or so later and jumped, then sighed and buried my face in my hands as I heard Brendon's voice. 

“Hey...sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. You okay?”

“Yeah,” I muttered, looking at the table as Brendon took his seat again. “I'm always jumpy.”

“Duly noted. Have you ever dated anyone other than Pete?”

I winced and shook my head. “Not for any period of time longer than a week, and I was always the one to get dumped.”

“Ah, well. Fuck high school. No one knows anything anyway, y'know? Not then. Is that why you're nervous? Cause you haven't met anyone else properly?”

I nodded slightly and looked down at my hands. “Sorry.”

“Don't be, I totally get it. In fact, I'd rather go on a date with someone nervous, because it shows that they really care. Or have anxiety.”

“The former is more likely.”

~

Brendon walked me to Pat's door from his car, smiling at me as I shuffled, trying to find my key. “Thanks for tonight, Brendon. It was really nice.”

“That's okay. We should get together another time.”

I managed to unlock the door and smiled at Brendon shyly. He didn't mess around, pulling me into a kiss, his fingers spreading on my cheeks. I leaned into it, moving closer to him until I could rest my hands on his chest. 

Brendon pulled away first, smiling as he stroked his thumbs under my eyes. “I'll see you again soon, yeah? Please..”

I blinked and then grinned, nodding quickly. “Please...um...do I have..”

Brendon pulled his wallet out and found a business card, handing it to me. “Text me, handsome. We’ll figure something out.”

“Sounds perfect.”

He grinned and kissed me again, pulling me even closer to him this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like this one! I don't normally do much from Mikey's POV.   
> I apologize in advance for the next few chapters, I've been having some writer's block and they're a little subpar for me :/ sorry about it, but I'm working hard to try and make the ones after better. <3


	14. Chapter 14

**F**

Gerard rolled over and snuggled up to my chest, scrabbling at my sides sleepily. I sighed, still scrolling through the email from my dad. Despite being half asleep, Gerard seemed to notice something was wrong and pressed himself closer to me. 

“Frankie?”

“My mom is sick,” I answered the inevitable question preemptively. Gerard blinked and wrapped his arm around my waist, rubbing my back. “I'm sorry. Is she okay?”

“I don't know. She's got a melanoma. It's not big, but it's um...yeah. Cancerous and all that. They're gonna try and remove it.”

Gerard nuzzled me gently. “How can I help?”

“I need to get some good sleep, it's nearly ten and I have work tomorrow, so really just some nice relaxing cuddles,” I hummed, setting my phone aside. “I'll think about it more in the morning. How are you feeling, beautiful?”

“Tired. I think my heat is coming early again. We're supposed to be at Chris's tomorrow evening.”

“Fuck, I forgot about that,” I sighed, leaning over and flicking the lights off before settling back with Gerard. 

“Yeah. Um...Mikey's date with Brendon went well, I think they're setting up another one soon. They kissed and everything, Pat’s excited about it.” 

“Good. Mikey deserves a good man.” 

“Mhm. Agreed. Now try to get some rest. Come on, I'm here..” 

“How's your pain?” I asked softly, stroking his hair behind his ears. 

“Still there. It's better, and my leg is still filling out, but more slowly now I think.”

“Mm, I think you're right,” I murmured, tugging him closer to me. He threw a leg over my hips, pressing his other leg and hips to mine. “Mikey said something the other day that was weird…he said Pat had told him something about your past, from around the time you met him.”

“Oh,” I mumbled, stroking Gerard's hair slowly. “I had a drinking problem for a year or so. I was with Bob at the time and he helped me out of it. I uh. I used to go to AA meetings, I got to two years and then stopped going. That's why I never touch anything alcoholic anymore. It's not an issue now..”

Gerard sighed and kissed me softly. “I'm sorry, Frankie...Mikey said he thought I could help somehow. Is that..?”

“Well, not really,” I hummed, kissing his forehead softly. “Like I said, it's not really an issue anymore. But I mean...I have like...an addictive personality, so I stay away from most things. It's why I didn't take my pain pills when I busted my hand. I stick to ibuprofen.”

“Let me know if I can ever help you..” Gerard murmured, burying his face in my neck. 

“Okay, beautiful.” 

~

Ricky handed the baby to Gerard and I watched his eyes light up. Chris was leaning against the wall next to me, holding a bottle of sprite in one hand. “Sure I can't get you anything to drink? Beer? Wine?”

“I uh...don't drink.”

Chris looked at me and smiled. “Neither do I. Don't like the way it makes me...different.”

“Fair enough. I used to have a drinking problem.”

“Does-”

“Yeah, Gerard knows..”

I watched my husband as he grinned, letting the baby grab at his fingers. 

“Did you want children before Ricky got pregnant?” I asked quietly. Chris chuckled softly. 

“Good guess. No, I did not. Ricky's pregnancy was a complete accident, and he wanted to keep it, so we kept it.”

“How do you feel now?”

“I wouldn't trade her for the world,” Chris grinned, running a hand through his hair. “She's the best thing that ever happened to me. I'm sure I won't be saying that so often in a few years, but becoming a dad is so special. Is Gerard..?”

“Looking at him now, I'm thinking he might be begging when we get home,” I muttered. 

Chris rolled his eyes. “Omegas do that, though. They go through this nesting period when they first have a mate. Ricky bought loads of like parenting magazines and stuff and started painting the nursery. It came in handy later but like...at the time we weren't financially able to have a kid, so...look, if Gerard starts to nest, let him do things like magazines and painting, it'll allow him to let it out without actually getting pregnant.”

“Sounds good. I'm not...I'm not sure a kid is the best thing for us now, we need more time.”

I glanced at Gerard and smiled to myself. 

~~~

Gerard patted the end of the crib, grinning proudly. “I built it myself.”

I leaned in the doorway of the spare room and sighed. “Gee, baby, we can't have a baby yet. We need more time for just us. I'm sorry..” 

“But-”

“Come here, sweetie. I want a cuddle..”

Gerard ducked his head and shuffled over, and I immediately felt guilty. I wrapped my arms around him tightly, kissing his cheek lovingly. “Oh baby. I'm so sorry, sweetie. I just really don't think it's best at the moment..”

I pulled away and gently led him back to the bedroom, sitting him down on our bed. He wouldn't look at me, staring at the floor sadly. I stroked his hair slowly, sitting down next to him. 

“Gee, you mean everything to me. But..things are heating up at work, my mom is sick...it's not a good time..”

“But it would be nine months from now,” Gerard pointed out in a small voice. I ran a hand through my hair, sighing quietly. 

“You'd need help and doctor appointments and you'd be sick for a while...it's not just the baby..”

“It would make your mom happy. She's not..doing so well, is she?”

I took a deep breath and sighed. “They found another tumor, yeah. But-”

“Wouldn't it make her so happy?”

Gerard was staring at me now, pleading with his eyes. “Frank,  _ think _ about it..”

I closed my eyes for a few seconds, sighing quietly. 

“Fuck, Gerard, I still don't know. It seems too soon..”

“Ricky got pregnant when Chris mated with him, that was early and they're fine.”

“Can I think about it?”

“Yeah..”

I wrapped an arm around Gerard's shoulders. “That's a really nice crib you put together, baby. Well done..”

He sniffed and buried his face in my neck. 

~~~

I pulled Brendon into a quick hug, smiling as Gerard grabbed onto Mikey with a grin. “They've been missing each other a lot, I think,” Brendon hummed, smiling to himself. 

“You really like him, huh?” I murmured as Gerard pulled Mikey into the living room. 

“Yeah. He's a sweetheart, and he's managed to open up to me a little. How's Gerard doing?”

I walked Brendon into the kitchen, getting him a glass of water. “Oh God. We went to see Chris and Ricky last week and he's been nesting ever since. He really really wants a baby, but before we mated he kept saying he didn't really want one...I just feel like it's too early again, and I'm not really sure if I'm ready anyway. But I tried to say that to him and it just  _ crushed  _ him, he was so sad..”

Brendon shook his head slightly. “You've just discovered the downside to omegas. I can't really tell you what to do, just be careful with him..”

“I know. It doesn't help that my mom is really sick, cause she really wants me to have a baby. So I feel like I should because we don't really know what her outlook is...what if we lose her before we can have a baby? That would be horrible.”

Brendon pulled a face. “Have you gone to visit her?”

“No, I'm going this evening, without Gerard. I'm gonna have a chat to her about it..”

Brendon sighed and took a sip of his water. “It sounds like you're thinking of doing it now, Frank.”

“Yeah, but...a baby is a huge commitment. What if it ruins what Gerard and I have?”

“Where have I heard that before?” Brendon asked sarcastically and I rolled my eyes. “Talk to Gerard about it properly. Find out  _ why  _ he wants to try, get his reasoning. I'd say to talk to Mikey as well, but I think he has enough on his plate. He's talking about moving here with me for his last semester...that's complicated enough..” 

I nodded slightly. “You're in our catchment, right?”

“Yeah, he'd be going to your school. He wants to finish his semester in New York and then come here.”

“I can talk to the principal about it,” I hummed, glancing towards the living room. “It would be nice for Gerard to have him close, but moving in with you..?”

Brendon shrugged and bit his lip lightly. “Mikey's moving fast, a little too fast, I think. He's been sleeping in my bed and everything. I think he's just...scared. And it's his first time dating someone who actually respects him and likes him for who he is. I think he's a little overwhelmed by it. But you know me. I’m not going to take advantage. I'm happy to have him staying with me, and I love the fact he cuddles with me at night, but I'm not gonna let him do anything he’ll regret.”

“I know, Bren. He's delicate, though. More than he lets on, I think.”

Brendon nodded and looked down at the floor. “Yeah, I know. I think he's got some issues cause...well, cause Gerard's always gotten so much more attention than him. Somehow he doesn't think he's worth it. It's really sad.”

I sighed and rubbed my eyes lightly. “Men are so complicated.”

“I can't imagine dating women. Must be fucking hell,” Brendon laughed, and looked up as Mikey slipped into the kitchen. He walked straight over to Brendon, leaning against his chest as he whispered something in his ear. Mikey slipped out again and I blinked.

“What was that about?”

“Uh. I'm not sure. I think he wants me to come talk to Gerard, let me go see.”

“No, I'll-”

Brendon shot me a look and I sighed, leaning back against the counter as he set his glass down and followed Mikey quietly. I waited for a couple minutes, staring at the floor. I felt a little sick. Something was going on with Gerard and he didn't want me there. 

Brendon poked his head around the door and I jumped, then relaxed as he walked in. “Hey. Gerard's a bit upset, he's not really talking at the moment. Mikey's a bit worried it might have something to do with their parents? I don't know, but I think you should go and see him.”

I kicked off the counter and hurried past Brendon, jogging to the living room. Gerard was curled up in a ball on the armchair, his face buried in his knees. Mikey looked up at me from the couch. “I mentioned Mom and he kind of just…did that. I don't know what's going on..”

I shrugged. “I don't either..” 

I walked over to Gerard, lifting him up and quickly sitting down with him on my lap. He uncurled immediately, throwing his arms around me and burying his face in my neck. I sighed and stroked his back slowly, kissing the side of his head. “Shh, baby. Shh. What's going on? Huh?”

I watched Mikey leave the room and gently pushed Gerard off me, ignoring his soft protests. “Come on,” I murmured firmly, but kindly. “You gotta tell me what's going on..”

Gerard sniffed, but wouldn't look at me, his eyes turned away. 

“Gee, come on. How can I help if I don't know what's wrong, baby?”

I stroked his hair back from his face, trying to catch his eye. “Please?”

“I'm sorry..”

“What for, beautiful?” I smiled, letting him climb into my lap again. “You didn't do anything..”

He curled up with his side against my chest, sniffling. “I tried to use your mom to make you feel guilty and have a baby with me…it was r-really mean..”

I sighed and started to rub his side slowly. “Gee, honey...I don't...I know you did that and I know what you're saying. It wasn't nice but I don't think you were really thinking straight. I've forgiven you, sweetie, there's nothing to be upset about. We need to talk about the baby thing, but now isn't the time, yeah? You're supposed to be having a nice time with Mikey...I promise we’ll talk about this tonight, baby. I promise. Cuddle?”

Gerard nodded and buried his face in my shoulder this time, shifting closer to me as I wrapped my arms around him, kissing his hair. “It's okay, Gee baby. It's okay.” 

~

I carefully helped Gerard into the bath, rubbing his back slowly before kicking off my boxers and getting in behind him, letting him curl up against me. “We gotta talk about some stuff,” I hummed after a couple minutes. Gerard nodded and cuddled closer to me, looking up at me worriedly. 

“Why do you want a baby, Gerard?”

He blinked and sighed. “Um..” He looked down at his lap and I started to stroke his hair. 

“I'm not gonna criticize you for your answers, I just wanna know.”

“Okay. I just...I feel ready. I dream about me being pregnant or being in the hospital and you holding our baby. Whenever we have sex, I'm wondering if you might be getting me pregnant and I get disappointed when you cum in my mouth..”

I nuzzled his cheek, pressing a soft kiss to his jaw. “Do you think we’re ready to raise a kid together, though? I mean, that's a lot of responsibility.”

“You're a good man, Frank. You'll make a really really good dad, I know you would. And I'd be ready to love a baby with all my heart. I'm not sure if I'd be a good parent, but I'd try my hardest.”

I nodded slightly, stroking up and down his sides. “What about  _ us _ ? As in our relationship? Do you think we're ready?”

Gerard took a deep breath and nodded slightly. “We're married. You take care of me so so well...I don't think anything could change what we have..” 

I brushed his hair behind his ears and kissed his shoulder, humming thoughtfully. “I need more time to think about this. Okay?”

“Yeah, that's fine. I think I'm going to be in heat soon, though..”

“Okay. We’ll deal with it when we get there.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry about late updates I've had a super busy weekend.   
> I've been having bad writer's block again lately and I'm also having some issues with beginning to hate this story, and my writing in general again. I'm frustrated because I can't seem to get to where I want my writing to be at the moment and it pisses me off cause my stories are so shitty compared to how I know I should be able to write them. It just makes it hard to keep wanting to write the same story and I keep coming up with these new ideas and ugh...anyway, I'm going to try my best to keep this one going but I honestly have no idea where it's going to or wtf I'm going to do with it. So that's fun.   
> Sorry for ranting, although I doubt many of you have read this anyway. If you did, have a good day/night/whatever <3


	15. Chapter 15

**G**

Frank was singing to me softly, running his fingers through my hair over and over. I was curled up in a tiny ball, a hot water bottle pressed to my stomach as I whined. 

“Oh baby..” Frank mumbled, leaning over and hugging me loosely. “I wish I could do something..”

I'd thrown up every time I'd tried to take my suppressors, so I could only lay there and whimper. Frank had taken the day off work to sit with me, talking to me constantly and trying to get me to eat and drink. 

“Gerard, why don't you sit up, hon?”

I shook my head and Frank sighed, laying down in front of me and stroking my hair slowly. “I'm sorry baby. I'm here.” He took my hands gently, lacing our fingers and resting his forehead on mine as I whimpered. “I've got you, Gee baby. I've got you, it's your last day, I'm sure of it. You're so brave, Gerard. So brave.”

He kissed me softly and I relaxed just slightly, focusing on the feeling of his soft, gentle lips moving against mine. He pulled away slowly and smiled at me sadly. “How about I go and get the hot tub working? Would you wanna try that? It might take your mind off things. I cleaned it the other day, it won't take me long to get it working..”

“O-okay..” 

Frank smiled and kissed my nose. “Okay. I'll be back in about ten or fifteen minutes, okay? You're gonna be alright..”

~

Frank held my hand as I dragged myself up the steps, finally sitting down on the seat and relaxing a little. Frank climbed in next to me, rubbing my thigh slowly under the water. “Is that better?”

I nodded slightly, resting my head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around me. 

“Gee..?”

“Mm..”

“Apparently the first heat after mating is very intense...and also very fertile...if you still want..um.”

I blinked at him and he smiled shyly. “I'm ready to try with you, Gee. If that's what you want.”

I nodded slightly and nuzzled his neck. “After this.”

“Okay. I’ll be so gentle with you, I promise. So so gentle..”

I nodded again, sniffling. “I know. I trust you, Frankie..”

~

Frank helped me into bed, rubbing my side as I nuzzled the pillow, whining softly. “Shh, baby..” He climbed up next to me, stroking my back slowly. “I'm gonna assume you're probably never gonna be in the mood, should I just start?”

“Y-yeah...okay..”

Frank's gentle hands turned me onto my back and he leaned over me, kissing my forehead. “I wanna be able to see you..”

I smiled faintly, noticing that Frank was already half hard, even without having touched himself. It must have been the scent of my heat. 

I closed my eyes, trying to push the pain to the back of my mind as I heard Frank uncap the lube. 

I gasped softly when I felt the cold gel against my entrance and Frank ran his hands up my sides slowly. “Shh, relax..”

He started to push into me, rubbing my chest as I grabbed at him shakily, whimpering again. “Frankie..”

“I've got you. You can tell me to stop anytime,” he soothed, kissing me softly as I felt his hips against mine and realized with a sigh of relief that he was all the way in. Frank rolled his hips, pulling out about halfway slowly before pushing back in a little faster, but still much slower than usual. I moaned out and shuddered as he brushed my prostate, and he grinned, kissing me softly and deeply as he kept thrusting at the same pace, making love to me with his arms wrapped around me. I pulled him a little closer and rocked my hips back, shuddering as I felt him hit my prostate again. 

“M’close,” he muttered against my lips eventually, then suddenly thrust hard, deep into me, grunting as he came. I felt it all inside me and it tipped me over the edge, letting me spill a pathetic amount as Frank kept filling me up, then fucked it into me quickly, grunting with each thrust. I let myself go limp, closing my eyes as he slammed into my hips, his alpha taking over as he tried desperately to push his cum into me as deep as possible. When Frank finally pulled out, he gently rolled me onto my stomach, rubbing my back slowly. “Mm. You'll keep it in better on your back..”

“Plug me,” I mumbled sleepily. “I don't wanna lose any..”

Frank purred and I heard a drawer slide open before the lube cap popped again. I shivered as Frank pushed the plug in, but relaxed quickly as it was only small. He collapsed next to me and grinned as I rolled to face him, snuggling closer. “Cutie pie..”

I smiled sleepily, glad that my pain seemed to have faded for now. “We can try again tomorrow, yeah?”

“Of course, beautiful. Of course.” 

~~~

Frank called out to me as he stepped in the front door, and I called back quickly. 

“In the kitchen!”

“Mm, something smells amazing, baby..”

I heard the door swung shut after him and he kicked his shoes off before walking into the kitchen. I looked up at him and smiled at the bunch of flowers he was holding. He grinned at me in his usual happy but lopsided way, his cheeks slightly red. “I uh. I saw these and I thought you'd like them.”

I chuckled and walked over to him, about to pull him into a kiss when I noticed his frown. 

“Sorry, baby, I just..” Frank sighed and stroked my cheek lightly. “Your leg doesn't look so good today. Everything alright?”

“Just a bit stiff,” I murmured, kissing him softly and gently taking the bouquet from him. “How was work?”

“What kind of stiff?” Frank asked worriedly, helping me get a vase from the cupboard. “I didn't...I didn't hurt you, did I?”

It had been a couple weeks since Frank and I had started trying for a baby, and after recovering from my heat, we'd started to get a little rough again. 

“No, sweetie, it's normal. I had physical therapy yesterday, remember?” I soothed, cutting the ends of the stems off the flowers as Frank filled the vase. “Now how was work?”

He sighed and set the vase down carefully, watching me put the flowers in one at a time. “You're not being very efficient.”

“Fuck you. Why are you avoiding my question?”

Frank ran a hand through his hair. “We’re getting a new head teacher. And um...rumors are that he's really traditional and wants to make...staffing changes,” he said quietly, a flatness in his voice that worried me. 

“You think..?”

“I think I might lose my job,” Frank finished bluntly. 

“But you're teacher of the year, he can't fire you.”

I put the vase on the windowsill and pulled Frank into a quick kiss. “You'll be okay..”

“I was made teacher of the year for advances in equality, this guy promotes segregated classrooms, Gee. He wants the alphas to have a whole different wing to the betas and omegas. And Mikey's all arranged to come next semester. He was supposed to have me as one of his teachers..”

“Frankie, baby,” I interrupted quickly, cupping his face in my hands. “Shh. Look at me. You're panicking, sweetie. Take a deep breath, cause you're getting all sweaty and it’s gross. This guy may be a fucking piece of shit, but he's not an idiot. He can't fire you halfway through the year and make all those changes. You have until the summer at least, okay? And Mikey will have graduated by then, so don't worry about him. We’ll be okay. It's gonna be okay..”

I hugged him tightly just as my timer went off and I swore softly, jerking away to get the tray of cookies out of the oven. “See? I  _ must  _ be psychic, I had this feeling that cookies were a good idea.”

Frank smiled slightly, but his eyes were still sad and anxious. I kissed him softly. “Come on. It's okay. You visited your mom today, right? How's she doing?”

I gently pulled Frank into the living room while I waited for the cookies to cool, keeping his focus on everything but his job. 

~

I woke up to thunder and curled up a little tighter. Frank wasn't next to me, the bed was cold. 

“Frankie?”

I heard running footsteps and Frank opened the door, smiling at me apologetically. “Sorry, baby. I was uh..”

“Watching porn?” I joked softly, shaking as he walked over, starting to rub my hip. 

“No..” 

“So what, then?”

Frank sighed and squeezed my hip gently. “I was looking up some new jobs, but I didn't have much luck. And then I got a text from Mikey that was very clearly meant for Brendon which resulted in an awkward phone call...I just...can't sleep.”

“Well now there's two of us..” 

Frank smiled slightly and kissed me softly, brushing my hair out of my face. “You wanna come downstairs?”

I nodded and he helped me up, catching me as I stumbled. “I've got you, it's okay beautiful..”

Frank helped me all the way downstairs, sitting me down on the couch and finding me a blanket before curling up next to me. 

“What was the text from Mikey about?”

“Apparently him and Brendon have been enjoying some weed brownies together of late and he was asking Brendon if he was going to bake some more tonight.”

“Oh.”

Frank chuckled and looked at me, clearly overwhelmed and exhausted. 

“I'm gonna beat his ass,” I muttered, shaking my head. “But first I think we both need cuddles.”

I snuggled up to Frank's chest, purring as I nuzzled his neck and kissed his jaw softly. 

“I already had some harsh words with Brendon,” Frank mumbled, stroking my hair slowly. “But he said that Mikey's been smoking for a while and Mikey told him you were okay with it. Don't worry about Bren, by the way, he wouldn't hurt a fly, especially not high. And he only does weed.”

“I know, because you wouldn't let him near Mikey otherwise,” I pointed out gently. “I trust your decisions Frank. I know this isn't your fault. You need to calm down today, yeah? You've been so worked up since you got home. Try and relax, I know it's hard, and I know you're scared, but we’ll be fine. I promise.” 

Frank sighed and gently pushed me off him, rubbing his eyes. “I'm okay,” he said, a little sharply. 

I shook my head and got up. “If you're gonna be like that, I'm going back to bed.” 

“Gerard, please..”

“Frank, you've taught me that you having me is a privilege. And if you're gonna be a stroppy teenager, I have a right to revoke that privilege.”

He groaned and buried his face in his hands. “Gerard, I'm sorry.”

I sat down again and smiled at him sweetly. “What for?”

“For snapping at you. I'm stressed and exhausted and I didn't mean to.”

I kissed him softly and sighed against his lips. “So let me help. What can I do?”

“I don't know, baby,” Frank mumbled, turning away from me and sniffling shakily. 

“Frankie, honey, don't cry..” I gently pulled him into my arms, rubbing his side as he shifted closer to me tentatively. “It's gonna be okay. You need some rest, this isn't...this isn't healthy for you. For either of us. Let's try and get back to bed, we need to sleep together..”

 

Frank was still awake when I woke up around dawn, blinking in the light. He smiled at me, but there were dark half circles under his eyes. 

“You look like shit. Stay home.”

“Already done,” he soothed, squeezing my shoulder gently. “I'm gonna go see my mom this morning and then maybe we could go out for lunch?”

I nodded and stroked his cheek slowly, frowning slightly. “I'm still worried about you, Frankie. You look so sad.”

“I'm tired, Gee. I'm tired and I have so much on my mind.”

“I know..” 

I kissed him softly and shook my head slightly. “How about we order pizza for lunch and have a proper fuck? You need to loosen up. We could cuddle in the hot tub after?” I suggested, grinning at him. Frank chuckled and rolled his eyes. “I'll think about it.”

“I'll let you choke me,” I added with a wink. Frank sighed and nuzzled my jaw. 

“I don't want to choke you...but your alpha would really like to throw you on the floor and fuck you like the dog you are..”

I purred and let my eyes slip half-closed. “Sounds perfect..” 

Frank ran his tongue up my throat and I felt my body shudder. “Mm. I gotta go get in the shower.”

I pouted as he walked off, but quickly jumped out of bed as soon as he was gone, kicking my boxers off and jogging to the bathroom. I waited until I heard the shower turn on, then waited another couple minutes before opening the door and slipping inside. 

Before Frank could react, I had stepped into the shower and was on my knees, smiling up at him innocently, my hand wrapped loosely around my cock. Frank groaned and sighed, grabbing a fistful of my hair before shoving himself into me. I closed my eyes and spread my legs a little, pumping myself as I let him completely use my throat, his fingers tangled painfully in my hair and his grunts and low moans sounding more animal than human. I came just after he shot his load down my throat, but he pulled out as he was still cumming, slapping me across the face with his dick. “Whore..”

I dropped my hands and ducked my head, shivering as the hot spray fell on my back. I didn't move, my heart beating hard against the inside of my chest. Frank didn't seem to notice, washing himself off and brushing past me. I just knelt there, staring at the tiles. 

“Gee?”

I didn't move at all. 

“Baby, this isn't funny, come get dry, the water’ll run cold soon.” 

I shivered even more as the freezing water cascaded down my back, but still didn't move a muscle. Frank reached over me, turning the water off and trying to drag me out of the shower. I wouldn't budge. He sighed and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around my shoulders and hugging me tightly as my shivers started to fade. 

“What's wrong, baby? What did I do? Hmm? What's upset you and how can I make it better?”

I shrugged and he stroked my hair back from my face, trying to get me to make eye contact. “Gerard, I didn't mean to hurt you, whatever I did. Whatever is going on with you, I didn't mean for it to happen. Please please let me help, you're scaring me..”

I stared at the tiles, starting to tremble again as Frank muttered to himself quietly, rocking me slightly. 

“Gee, you need to get up off this floor, you're gonna hurt your leg. Come on.”

He stood up, trying to encourage me up as well, but I stayed put, flinching as he sighed in frustration. 

Frank sat down next to me again, rubbing my back slowly. “Did you not wanna...do what we did? Was I too rough?”

I shrugged and he pressed his forehead to the side of my head, scooting closer to me. “What could I have done?” He mumbled to himself, still trying to soothe me. 

“Um. Is it cause I said whore?”

I flinched and nearly fell onto my side, quickly catching myself by putting out a hand. Frank groaned softly as I crouched there, propped up as I shook. 

“Alright. Gerard, look at me. Look at your alpha.”

At the sound of the command, I quickly turned my head, trying not to focus my eyes as Frank smiled. 

“Hey. That's it, Gee baby. I didn't mean it, okay? It was meant as a sort of roleplay thing, I didn't mean to upset you. You're not a...y'know. You're my loyal and caring husband whom I...I care about very very much. You're a special person and I…I don't think you're a...y'know. Or a slut, or anything like that..” 

I felt my shoulders drop and Frank pulled me into his arms, rocking me as I started to sob. 

 

Frank was massaging my leg lightly, watching me worriedly. “What was that all about?” He asked kindly, smiling at me soothingly. I looked down. 

“David used to use that word to...control me, I guess. When he called me a...I um. Shut down and I'd do nothing but follow his orders and...it's just always been a bad trigger word for me and he took advantage..”

Frank nodded and kissed my knee. “I'm never saying it again, I promise. You really had me worried, I thought I'd hurt you really badly.”

“No, I was just...scared.”

He sighed and moved down to my calf, starting to work out the knots there. “How's your thigh feel now?”

“Better. It still hurts.”

“I'd never be able to tell.”

I blinked at him and sighed. “I have high pain tolerance.”

“Clearly. Once this is done, I'll wipe you down and we’ll have a nice cuddle, yeah? I'll go see my mom this afternoon, while you rest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm putting two chapters up tonight because I missed a couple at the weekend and I've just finished chapter 20 so I have enough buffer chapters. Thank you for all of your support, you guys are all amazing! <3  
> Just a warning, there's a big twist in the next two chapters and Gerard's story is going to get a little darker. I hope you're ready for it!


	16. Chapter 16

**F**

I slammed the front door behind me, kicking my shoes at the wall and dumping my bag by the shoe rack. I stomped into the living room and froze. Gerard was uncurling on the sofa, clearly just waking up from a nap. He yawned with a soft squeak, stretching out before relaxing again, nuzzling his pillow. “Frankie? S’that you?”

I sighed and walked around to the couch, aggression fading as I knelt down, stroking Gerard's forehead slowly. “Hey. You okay, beautiful?”

“Yeah. Tired..”

I smiled sadly and kissed his nose lightly. “Get some more rest, then. I have some things I need to get done.”

“But how was-”

“I gotta go do some stuff, Gee. Get some more sleep.”

 

Gerard opened the door to my office, poking his head in before stepping inside. “Frankie? I brought you a snack.”

His voice was timid and soft, his body language non-threatening and slightly anxious. I looked up and sighed as he tried an unconvincing smile, holding the plate out like an olive branch. “Key lime pie...I made it this morning, it was supposed to be a surprise with dinner, but..”

Gerard pushed the plate towards me without stepping forward, his eyes frantic. He looked like he was about to break down sobbing as I took the plate, managing a smile. “Thanks, Gerard. It smells good.” 

He blinked slowly and I set the plate down next to my laptop. “I'll eat it in a minute, yeah?”

Gerard took the cue and hurried out of the room. I buried my face in my hands, shaking ever so slightly. 

“Fuuuck..”

 

I left my office about half an hour later, wandering into the living room. Gerard was curled up on the couch, sniffling as he watched tv. I walked around and sat down next to him, rubbing his knee gently. “Thank you for the pie, beautiful. It was delicious.”

Gerard nodded slightly but didn't look at me. 

“Baby...can I have a hug? I missed you today.”

He shrugged and I sighed, shifting closer to him and wrapping an arm around his waist. “I'm sorry for getting short with you when I came in. I um. Got fired today, so..I get to stay on until the end of the school year and then...yep..”

Gerard looked at me sadly and leaned into me slightly. “I'm sorry I got scared..”

I shook my head quickly and sighed. “Never apologize for being scared, baby. It's not your fault..I'm sorry for being a dick..”

He snuggled up to my chest slowly, burying his face in my neck as I wrapped my arms around him tightly, sighing softly. “I have some more stuff to do before bed, are you doing dinner or am I?”

“I can..” He mumbled against my skin as I ran my fingers through his hair. 

“Thanks, baby. It doesn't need to be fancy, something quick and easy will be nice, cause we have fancy dessert, huh?”

Gerard smiled, but he was still trembling slightly. I gently pulled him into a kiss, my hand resting on his cheek lightly. “I wish I could stay here with you all evening, but I have to sort out some finance stuff, make sure all our money is in the right places, okay?”

He nodded slightly, sniffling as I got up. I stroked his hair and walked out of the room. 

 

Gerard went to bed early after dinner, so I got on with some work, soon realizing I needed a flash drive Gerard had borrowed a few weeks after we'd first gotten married. I headed upstairs quietly, careful not to step on any of the creaky spots as I slipped into his old room. 

I glanced around and smiled to myself softly. It looked like a normal guest room now, aside from the messy clothes strewn everywhere. Gerard mostly just used the room as a large wardrobe now. 

I went up to the desk, opening a drawer and blinking as a sheet of paper fell out. I picked it up carefully, scanning the messy handwriting. 

_ Dear Gee, _

_ I'm going to miss you so much. You mean so much to me, you really do. But I know this is the best thing for you, and that you need the money. You need someone to take care of you, and you need to stop sleeping on everyone else's couches. I wish you all the best and I hope you always remember that I love you, no matter what. You'd better come visit me soon.  _

_ Love, Mikey xox _

I crumpled the paper in my hands, gritting my teeth as I stared at the floor. Before I knew it, I was flinging the bedroom door back, slapping the lights on before stalking up to the bed. 

Gerard woke before I reached him, sitting up and scrambling away from me slightly, his eyes wide and uncertain. “A-alpha..?”

I growled and tossed the paper at him, watching him flinch. He quickly smoothed it out with shaky fingers, then opened his mouth to talk, but I cut in quickly. 

“You're a fucking gold digger, huh?” I snarled, my fingers curling into fists at my sides. “Marrying me and pretending to love me for my fucking money. I bet you were gonna get me to knock you up and then ask me to change my will, huh? Real fucking original, Gerard Way.”

Gerard shivered, hugging himself tightly as he avoided my gaze, tears welling up in his round hazel eyes. “I-”

“How would you have done it?” I sneered, folding my arms over my chest. “Poison? Would you have fucking stabbed me in my sleep? Or were you just gonna drain me dry while I was alive? Begging me for all the  _ stuff  _ anyone could ever want...you're a cunt, Gerard. A fucking vampire...I married a fucking-”

“ _ Enough _ !” 

The force of Gerard's shout almost knocked me to my senses, even causing me to take a step back. I dropped my hands to my sides, clenching and unclenching my fists uncertainly as Gerard glared at me, chest heaving and tears dripping from his chin. 

“Yes, fine! I married you for fucking  _ money.  _ I married you because I had no money. I married you because the surgery to remove my tumor was so expensive I couldn't even afford to sue them for negligence. I couldn't  _ work _ , Frank,” Gerard hissed, shaking slightly as he balled his delicate hands into trembling fists. “I had no income. I lost my apartment. I couldn't move in with my parents. I borrowed money from friends to fucking  _ eat. _ But you wouldn't fucking understand, would you?”

I opened my mouth and Gerard glared at me with such venom I closed it quickly. 

“I married you because I couldn't afford to eat.” 

“Well, I have no fucking money anymore, so you can go whenever the fuck you like,” I muttered, the anger starting to fade. 

“Don't you fucking do that, Frank!” Gerard snapped, wiping his cheeks. “ _ Don't you dare.  _ I thought that I'd just stay with you for a year or so, get back on my feet. Get working again, and then divorce you.”

“So-”

“Fucking  _ zip it _ ! I'm sick of your name calling and fucking shouting! I'm sick of it! Let me fucking finish!”

I took a small step back, swallowing hard. Gerard was still wiping the tears away as they fell. 

“I thought I would want to leave. I thought I'd be able to leave. But now I can't ever imagine wanting to. Because...I'm...I can't lose you, Frankie.”

Gerard sniffed and buried his face in his hands as his shoulders started to shake. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down before hurrying to him, pulling him into a tight hug. “Oh shit...Gee, I'm so so sorry, sweetie. I'm sorry. I'm such a shitty husband..”

I climbed up to sit next to him, smiling sadly as he dragged himself closer to me. 

“D-don't do that to me a-again, Frank Anthony Iero.” 

I buried my face in his neck, rocking him slowly until we both managed to stop sniffling, holding each other tightly. 

Gerard was the first to break the silence, gently smacking my chest. “Arsehole...I thought I was gonna lose you...I thought you were g-gonna make me leave..” 

I cupped his face in my hands and sighed. “Baby...I wanted to make a grand gesture and I wanted this to be special, but I give up. I don't have time to create the perfect moment. I really fucking  _ love _ you, Gerard. Really. I love you so much, and I've loved you for ages, I've just been a huge wuss...I've wanted to tell you, and...I just couldn't, I-”

Gerard rested his index finger against my lips, fresh tears spilling down his already stained cheeks. “You're rambling..”

“So I am. I'm sorry, Gee..”

“I love you..”

It took me a couple seconds to process the simple sentence, but when it finally sank in, I threw my arms around Gerard, burying my face in his hair. “Jesus fucking Christ..”

He just giggled, hugging back as tightly as he could and resting his cheek on top of my shoulder as I felt his warm tears soaking into my shirt. 

 

Gerard was curled up against my side, one arm wrapped over my waist and his cheek resting half on my chest. 

“How bad was it?”

“What?” He murmured sleepily. 

“The financial stuff. Before you married me.”

“Oh. Well, I borrowed a lot from friends to pay for my surgery, because David wouldn't let me work so I had no insurance. I haven't managed to pay it all back yet, I still owe Chris a lot. And um...yeah, I got kicked out of my apartment cause I couldn't pay rent. I was looking for work, but the pain was so bad...I was staying with Chris when your mom contacted his mom through a friend or something. This was all from Chris, he recommended me to your mom and helped Mikey convince me it was a good idea. He's real fuckin’ smug.” 

“I bet,” I chuckled, stroking Gerard's hair slowly. “I'm really sorry I lost my temper again, baby.”

“It's okay. You're an alpha, you're wired to have a temper, and it all came out cause you were scared of losing me. It's not like you would've hurt me.”

I nuzzled his jaw and pressed a soft kiss to his pale skin. “I know, but I'm sorry for all the shitty things I said. I didn't mean any of them, I promise. I'm just...I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Gerard shifted slightly, then climbed up on top of me, straddling me a little awkwardly and bending down to kiss me, a little deeper than usual. I got the idea and gently rolled him over, pinning him down with a soft, joking growl. Gerard giggled and grinned up at me, his hazel eyes happy and trusting. “Mate with me again..”

I frowned slightly and bit my lip. “I'm not sure-”

“I loved you when we first mated, but now we both know that we love each other...we might be able to mate again,” Gerard hummed, stroking my cheek slowly. “Mating isn't a one time thing, like most people think, but it has to come from heightened emotions like love and happiness.”

I nodded slightly and leaned down, kissing him deeply and slowly, wriggling my boxers off and kicking them aside. Gerard did the same, giggling softly as he accidentally broke the kiss. I chuckled and pecked his lips, reaching over to grab the lube. I set it down on the bed and pulled Gerard in again, running my hands up and down, all over his thin chest as I felt heat spread through my own chest. I pulled away and blinked at Gerard, who just grinned at me, spreading his legs and lifting them for me. “Frankie..”

I purred and quickly lubed myself up, then lined up to him and leaned over, kissing him lovingly as I pushed in slowly, filling him up. He grunted quietly as I slid in all the way, pulling away to nuzzle his cheek. “I've got you..”

I grabbed one of Gerard's hands, lacing our fingers and holding on tightly, my other hand braced against the bed to keep me up. Gerard wrapped his legs around me loosely, his eyes closed and a slight smile gracing his lips. I kissed him once more. 

“Love you, Gee baby..”

“Mm. Love you too, Frankie.”

I started to thrust slowly and felt it immediately, grinning as I pushed into Gerard's prostate. He moaned softly and happily, squeezing my hand as I built up a rhythm. I groaned a couple of times, but kept going steadily, occasionally speeding up just to make Gerard squeal in pleasure. 

Gerard was shaking happily by the time I started to feel my build up, warning him softly and grinning down at him. “Fuck...I love you, Gee!”

I slammed into him one last time, almost collapsing as I came. My eyes rolled back in my head and I slowly started to ride it out, but it just kept coming, filling Gerard completely. When I came back to my senses, I found that Gerard had passed out, a pool of sticky white goo all over his stomach. I cleaned us both up quickly, then carefully shifted him into the recovery position, stroking his hair worriedly. 

I hadn't seen what had happened, so I stayed close to Gerard, kissing his skin occasionally and stroking his hair. He stirred after about an hour and a half, cuddling up to me quickly. “Frankie..”

“Hey, beautiful. What happened?”

“I dunno. I think I just...I came too hard,” he mumbled, blushing deeply. I kissed his forehead. 

“It was definitely a good one. You feeling okay otherwise?”

“Mm. I feel full,” he purred softly, shifting his hips slightly. “It’s perfect.” 

I smiled and stroked his cheek slowly, letting him cuddle closer sleepily. 

“I have a doctor’s appointment next week. It's an omega health checkup, so they're gonna do a reproductive check as well, I might ask them to run a pregnancy test for me...we've been trying really hard..”

I nodded and started to stroke his hair rhythmically. “Sounds like a good idea, Gee. You wanna watch a movie?” 

~~~

I watched Gerard pull Mikey into a hug, sighing to myself quietly. He'd come over for a visit, but I knew Gerard was going to have to talk to him about the drug issue. I wandered into the kitchen, starting to make a pot of coffee. I heard footsteps and glanced up into Mikey's worried eyes. 

“Hey. Everything alright?”

“Gerard is really mad at me, isn't he?”

I shook my head, tipping coffee into the filter. “No, no. He's not angry, he's just worried about you. I mean...he's a little annoyed that you lied to Brendon like that, but that's really Brendon’s issue, not his.” 

“But he must be-”

“Don't push him, Mikey, okay? He's not angry right now but if you get..” I waved a hand vaguely. “If you get shitty with him or whatever, he will get angry. He just wants you to take things seriously.”

“But I do...most of the time.”

I shrugged, pressing the button to start the brew. “Then you should be fine. Just remember that he's not trying to stop you from having fun or doing something you enjoy, he's worried about you and he's trying to make sure that you're not doing anything that might be dangerous.”

“I only do it with Brendon..”

“Never try it on your own, Mikey. Sometimes it can make you very paranoid, or upset. It's better to do it when there's someone else around, just in case.”

Mikey tilted his head and gave me a look. I shrugged. 

“I tried it in college, it wasn't for me.” 

Gerard slipped in and I smiled at him. “Hey.”

“Hiya..” He walked up to me and kissed my cheek briefly. “You coming into the living room, Mikey?”

The younger boy nodded a little shakily and hurried off, so Gerard pulled me into a brief kiss. “Love you..”

“He's scared you're angry with him,” I murmured, then pecked his lips again. “Love you too. Go on..”

I slapped his ass lightly, chuckling as he rolled his eyes before walking off. 

I loitered in the kitchen for a while, getting some things ready for dinner, but mostly just staying out of the way. After about half an hour without raised voices, I poured a cup of coffee and took it in for Gerard. Mikey was curled up in his older brother’s lap, half asleep. I handed Gerard the mug and kissed the top of his head. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Are you doing dinner soon?”

“I wasn't going to, but I can.” 

“I'd like it if Mikey could stay.”

“Sure. But you don't need to ask my permission y'know..”

Gerard chuckled and grinned at me. “I wasn't, not really.”

I rolled my eyes fondly and brushed a lock of his hair behind his ear. “Alright. It'll be ready in about twenty minutes.”

 

Dinner was quiet as usual. Apparently not talking over food was a family trait, but I was getting used to it. When both brothers had finished, I got up to clear up, but Gerard waved a hand quickly. “No, Frankie, you made dinner, I'll clear up. It's fine.”

“But-”

“No, Frankie. Sit.”

Gerard giggled and Mikey grinned at me as I shook my head. “Fine, fine..”

I sat down again and Mikey watched as I took a sip from my water. 

“I'm really glad you make him happy.”

I ran a hand through my hair, smiling to myself. “I'm glad too. He deserves to be happy.”

“He says you're trying for a baby,” Mikey said quietly, looking down at the table and fiddling with his placemat. “I wish I could have one.”

“Oh, well...you could still adopt,” I said gently, trying to sound soothing and kind. “If things work out with you and Brendon...I know he wants kids later down the line.”

“Oh.” Mikey mumbled flatly. “I guess things probably won't work out then.”

I groaned internally and rubbed one of my eyes. “Mikes, Brendon knows that adoption is a thing too, y'know. If he wanted an omega, he wouldn't be with you.”

Mikey nodded slightly and took a deep breath. “I'm sorry, Frank, I'm just a little...sensitive at the moment, I guess.”

I hummed softly and shook my head. “It's fine, I understand. It's just a bit of a rough patch, right? You know you can talk to me if you ever need or want to.”

He smiled at the table, pushing his glasses up quickly. “Thanks. I'm kind of still adjusting to this whole thing, though. I still worry about Gerard sometimes.”

I chuckled softly and shrugged. “He's fine, he's still adjusting in some ways, too. You gotta stop worrying about him, that's my job now..”

Mikey bit his lip lightly. “It's a habit.”

“Mhm. How are things with Brendon?”

Mikey's face softened immediately and I saw his cheeks flush a little. “Really great. We haven't been intimate at all yet, but we cuddle and kiss a lot. Bren is always so kind to me, and he doesn't get annoyed when I'm clumsy.”

I blinked and sighed slightly. “That's great, Mikey. I'm really glad things are working out for you. Just don't...don't dive in too much, yeah? Bren is a much better guy than Pete, but that doesn't mean you have everything in common or that you're a perfect match. There's plenty of good guys out there.”

Mikey smiled, but didn't say anything, looking up as the doorbell rang. “That'll probably be him, I'll go get it.”

I nodded and got up from the table, hurrying into the kitchen and touching Gerard's side lightly. He jumped slightly, but grinned at me, putting down the pan he'd been washing up. 

“Hey Frankie.”

“Hey baby, I think Brendon’s here to pick Mikey up.”

He nodded and pecked my lips quickly before taking his gloves off and heading for the hall. I followed him more slowly, shoving my hands in my pockets. Brendon was waiting by the door, and Mikey rushed back to Gerard, hugging him tightly. I watched my husband as he wrapped his little brother up in a tight, protective hug, rubbing his back slowly. 

They broke away quickly and Mikey waved to me awkwardly before walking back to Brendon, who grinned at Gerard and I. “Nice to see you both briefly..”

We waved and Gerard leaned into me as the car moved off down the road, his eyes closed as he sniffled slightly. 

“You wanna go cuddle for a bit?”

He nodded. 

~~~

I flicked through another magazine, kicking myself for forgetting to charge my phone. Gerard was in for his exam, and the nurse had warned me it could take a while. It was nearly an hour since Gerard had walked off with the nice nurse. 

“Mr. Iero?”

I looked up and a doctor smiled at me, walking over and taking the seat next to me. “Your husband has asked me to give you some news.”

I blinked, setting the magazine aside. “Is he okay? Is it bad news?”

The doctor sighed and shook his head slightly. “He's fine, don't worry. But it's not particularly good news, either. Your husband is infertile, he's unable to bear any f-...any children at all.”

I shifted my gaze to the floor, staring at it as I felt a brief wave of relief, chased immediately by guilt. 

“He's not taking it very well, is he?”

The doctor shook his head again. “No. It might be a good idea for you to come and get him from the exam room, I think he's feeling a bit nauseous as well.”

“But his heats were so..”

He sighed quietly again. “Frequency and intensity of heats aren't always indicators of fertility. Your husband’s infertility is caused by a physical problem rather than a hormonal one, in any case.”

I rubbed my eyes lightly. “What physical problem?”

“His internal organs for the creation of a fetus and carrying that fetus aren't properly developed. I can tell you more at a later date if you want, but currently I think you really ought to go and see him.” 

I nodded and got up, following the doctor to a small door. I turned the handle and slipped in. Gerard was sitting on the bench in the empty room, his head in his hands and a hospital gown covering him a little inadequately. 

“Baby?”

He didn't move. 

I walked up to him slowly, gently resting a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, Gee. I'm sorry, baby, I'm so sorry. Would you like a cuddle?” 

He shrugged without moving his hands and I sighed. “How about we get you dressed? That looks cold, baby.”

Gerard shrugged again, so I picked his boxers up from the neatly folded pile and gently forced him to stand up, supporting him as I helped him step into the boxers. I tugged them up and then did the same with his jeans before taking off the shitty gown. I gently pulled his hands away from his face to get his tee shirt on, then wiped his cheeks as I stared into his red eyes. “Oh baby...let’s just get you home, beautiful. I've got a huge tub of ice cream in the freezer.”

~

Gerard had made himself a nest-like bundle of blankets on the couch, shivering as he cried. I set the ice cream tub in his lap, then handed him a spoon. “I love you, Gerard Iero. Do you need a cuddle?”

He nodded quickly, sobbing softly as I sat down next to him, wrapping an arm around his thin waist. “I'm so sorry, baby. I am.” 

“Y-you didn't w-want a baby..”

I sighed and rubbed my eyes with one hand, keeping my other arm tight around him. “No, not really. But I would have been a dad for you. If it would've made you happy.”

Gerard stared at the ice cream, shaking all over as he tried to hold back the sobs. “I d-didn't until we m-mated...and then I wanted a baby s-so bad..”

“I know, baby. I know,” I soothed inexpertly, stroking his hair slowly.

“I'm n-not even sure if I'm r-relieved, though. I'm not sure I would have really been ready..” Gerard sniffed, poking his ice cream with the spoon. “I think it was just hormones speaking for me.” 

I sighed and shifted closer to him, rubbing his knee gently. “I'm sorry, Gee. And I'm sorry I'm really bad at this. I don't know what the right thing to say is..”

“It's okay. At least you're here,” Gerard murmured, smiling at me sadly.

I nodded and kissed his cheek softly. “And I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, I promise.” 

He leaned his head on my shoulder, still trembling subtly. “I just...I always imagined this would be my life. I'd settle down with someone I loved and I'd, y'know. Get pregnant. Carry his baby, it's what I'm biologically wired to do..”

“I know, beautiful. But we still love one another and we’re gonna get through this together. I promise. Have some ice cream, it'll make you feel better.”

 

Gerard struggled to sleep that night, tossing and turning next to me. Every time he drifted off, he seemed to wake up crying ten minutes later. I tried to comfort him and soothe him, but I was utterly exhausted and ended up falling asleep while holding him. When I woke up, he was curled up on the other side of the bed, his back to me. The tv was on, but set to the news channel, which always meant he wasn't really watching it. 

“Baby?”

Gerard grunted, but didn't answer. 

“I have to be at work in half an hour, baby..”

I sat up, stroking his side slowly. He didn't react. 

“I love you, Gee,” I murmured, rubbing up and down his back slowly. “I love you so so much. You mean everything to me, baby. I know you're hurting, and I know this is hard, but I'm here whenever you need me, okay? If you need me while I'm at work, text or call. If I don't answer immediately, I'll do my best to answer as soon as possible, okay? I love you.”

I leaned over to kiss his cheek, but stopped as he turned his head away sharply, into the pillow. I let out a soft sigh and slipped out of bed. 

 

I hadn't heard anything from Gerard by lunchtime, so I dialed his number, humming to myself quietly. He picked up on the third ring. 

“What the fuck do you want?”

My teeth gritted together, but I took a deep breath and grabbed my stress ball, starting to fiddle with it in my spare hand. “Hey, beautiful. I just wanted to check you're doing okay.”

“How the fuck do you think I'm doing?” Gerard snapped. 

I squeezed the ball and sighed. 

“I'm trying my best here, Gee. I love you..”

“Your best isn't enough.”

I closed my eyes, digging my nails into the soft toy. “I'm sorry. But Gerard...can you answer me one question honestly?”

“Maybe.”

“Are you trying to make me angry?”

There was a long pause. “Yes.”

I dropped the toy and started to rub my eyes. “Why, beautiful?”

Gerard hesitated again, and I heard a soft sniffle. “I wanna feel something else..”

I dropped my hand back to my desk, feeling like I'd been hit in the chest with a mallet. “Baby...I...fuck. I don't know what to say or how to help. Do you need me home?”

“I-I'll be okay..”

“Promise me you won't do anything silly?”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

I picked up the toy once more, squeezing it hard. “Um. I don't know, really. You just sound really upset and I don't want you hurting yourself or anything..”

“Okay..”

I stared at the desk for about thirty seconds. 

“Frankie...I should go. I'm just making you worried and you need to get back to work..” 

I sighed and bit my lip lightly. “Okay, beautiful. Promise you'll call if you need me?”

“Promise.”

“Alright. I love you, Gee.”

“Love you too.” He hung up and I sighed, setting my phone aside. I grabbed my bag and pulled out the mail from home, starting to go through the letters. I had gotten to the third one when I realized I'd accidentally opened something for Gerard. I pulled it out and glanced it over. 

_ Mr. Iero, _

_ Here are the medical records you requested for personal filing.  _

_ Gerard Arthur Iero; Born: April 9, 1987 _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who are as observant as me, if this story is current and set in 2017, Gerard's birth year being 1987 puts him at 30 years old, not 23 ;)  
> I would probably miss that myself but I felt like explaining that explicitly in this chapter would ruin the flow.  
> Have a good night/day! <3  
> P.S. I love it when people try to guess the twists, so have at it. There's more to come, it's not just Gerard's age that's part of the twist. ;)


	17. Chapter 17

**F**

“And?”

“Bob, he told me he was twenty three. If he was born in nineteen eighty-seven, that makes him thirty.”

Bob huffed out a breath. “You're probably overreacting. It's probably a misprint.”

“It was in the letter more than once, Bob. And...and when we were at the doctor, the doctor said something weird. He kind of stuttered and-”

Bob groaned. “Frank, shut the fuck up for a second. Do you love this man?”

“Yeah. I'm not angry.”

“No, I know. I know you're not angry and that's really good. I'm proud of you and all that shit. Do you trust Gerard?”

“He's lied to me before..” 

Bob swore quietly and sighed loudly. “Frank, he didn't fucking lie to you about the money, he neglected to tell you about it. That's very very different. He probably thought you knew. Do you fucking trust him?”

“I don't think he'd do anything to hurt me, if that's what you mean,” I mumbled quietly, tightening my grip on the steering wheel. 

“Okay. So following on from that, he must have a reason for lying about his age, right? Maybe if he was that broke and he didn't think you'd accept him at thirty, he would have lied. That makes sense, right? You can forgive that?”

“Yeah, that would make sense..”

Bob took a deep breath. “Just talk to him, Frank. Ask him straight up why he lied. Don't get angry about it, don't be confrontational. Just say that you found this thing that says he's thirty and you'd like to know the truth so you can both move on together. Right? Be nice.”

“Okay. He's um. Fragile right now, anyway, so I was planning on being careful. I don't wanna hurt him, in any way..”

“I know you don't, Frank. It's okay. What you said earlier...do you think you're likely to come across a mess?”

I sighed and shook my head. “No, Gerard doesn't have any self harm scars or anything like that, I was just...when I said not to do anything silly, it was more me thinking about what I would have done in the situation. I probably would have-”

“Gotten hammered.”

“Yeah, basically. I don't think Gerard is like that, but he was trying to rile me up, and he said he wanted to feel something else.”

“Ah. I see why the thought occurred. Don't assume anything, yeah? I gotta go, Frank. I'll catch up with you soon.”

“Yeah, miss you, dude. I'll see you soon.”

~

I kicked my shoes off and hung my keys up, walking into the kitchen and laying the bouquet down. I heard footsteps and looked up. Gerard looked like death. He was limping badly again, his greasy black hair hanging down around his pale face limply and heavily. His eyes were tired and vacant, rimmed with dark circles. 

“Hey..” I said softly. He looked past me to the flowers and a tiny smile twitched at his lips. “Frankie..” He mumbled hoarsely. I stepped forward quickly and pulled him into a gentle hug. “I'm here, baby, shh. I mean this in the nicest way possible, Gee, but you  _ stink.  _ I think you need a nice bath, how about I come get in with you?”

Gerard nodded slightly as he pulled away, shaking just a little. I kissed his cheek and wrapped an arm around his waist, slowly helping him up the stairs and into the bathroom. I started the tap and began to slowly undress my husband, being as careful and gentle with him as I could. He stood silently, staring at nothing and just shivering. I slipped my shirt off quickly and helped him into the tub, washing his hair for him before stripping the rest of the way and getting in behind him. He leaned over and turned the water off sedately. 

I sighed and rested my chin on his shoulder, rubbing his hips slowly. 

“I love you, Gee.”

“I love you too.”

I nuzzled his neck lightly and took a deep breath, deciding to just take the plunge. 

“Gerard, baby, I accidentally opened some of your mail today,” I started quietly, feeling him tense up. “I'm not angry, okay? Please don't think I'm angry with you..” I wrapped my arms around his waist loosely. “But it was a medical records thing and it listed your birth year as nineteen eighty seven a few times, too many to be a misprint.”

Gerard pulled away quickly. “I don't want to talk about this, not right now..”

“But-”

“No!”

He hurriedly tried to get up, stepping out of the tub and slipping. I jumped up, only just managing to catch him. I sighed and hugged him tightly to my chest, shaking my head. “Gerard, it's okay. It's alright, beautiful. Let's get you dried and dressed, and then we’ll talk, alright?”

 

Gerard was shaking, picking at his nails and staring at the ground. I handed him a mug of coffee, kissing his cheek before sitting down across from him. 

“Gee, baby...I don't care that you lied to me, and I don't care that you're thirty. It doesn't bother me. I just want to know why you lied to me..”

He looked away sharply. “I didn't lie to you...I've been lying about my age since I was really young.” 

I nodded slightly and reached over, rubbing his knee slowly. “Okay. Tell me about that, baby. Please..”

Gerard nodded, taking a deep breath. “Please please please don't tell anyone..”

I smiled soothingly, squeezing his knee again. “Promise I won't, baby. I promise.”

He looked down again, sniffling. “I've been lying about my age since Mikey turned twelve. I told him I was seventeen when I was twenty four. I pretended to go to high school and graduate...all my life has been fucked up..”

Gerard buried his face in his hands, sniffling. “Fuck...I don't know how to say this..”

I gently scooted him over in his armchair, squeezing in next to him and wrapping my arms around him tightly. “I'm here, beautiful. Just spit it out, I promise I won't be angry or judge you..”

Gerard winced. “Mikey isn't my brother. He's my son.”

I froze, my whole body suddenly seeming numb and heavy. I stared at Gerard for a few seconds, eyes wide. 

“What?”

My husband tensed, shaking badly as he tried to form the words, but they wouldn't come out. I saw the panic in his eyes as he glanced at me and quickly pulled him closer to me. 

“Oh no, it's okay. It's okay. Nothing to panic about, baby. I'm listening, I'm here for you. I'm not judging you and I'm not going to be angry with you. He does look a lot like you..”

Gerard smiled slightly and sniffled as tears welled up in his eyes. I brushed them away as they fell, kissing his forehead. “No crying, baby. It's okay. Can you tell me a little more?”

Gerard managed a small nod and took a deep breath, looking down at his hands. “I was r-raped when I was twelve. I didn't...I didn't know any better at the time and this guy approached me. He said I was cute and pretty and he said he had a way of making my heats go away. I went along with it cause my parents were betas, y'know? They never really helped me with my heats and they were so painful, I just wanted them to go away. He um..” 

Gerard screwed his eyes shut and I pressed my forehead to the side of his head soothingly as I stroked up and down his side slowly. “I get the picture, baby, you don't have to go on..”

He scrabbled for one of my hands and I quickly took his hand in mine, rubbing his knuckles with my thumb. 

“I h-had Mikey in the b-basement,” Gerard almost whimpered, ducking his head in shame. “The doctor yesterday s-said something went wrong when I had Mikey, but no one knew at the time...that's why I can't have another b-baby..”

Gerard shifted closer to me and I started to stroke his hair, smiling at him as lovingly as I could manage. “Shh, I'm here. It's alright. How come Mikey doesn't know..?”

Gerard sniffed and looked down. “My parents thought it would be better if he didn't know...I wanted to keep him as mine, but they wouldn't...they didn't let me. I got to keep him until he was three, and then they sent me to live with my grandparents. I went back to my parents when he was twelve, when I could realistically lie about my age. I just wanted him to grow up with me, y'know? To know me and be close to me, so I could be close to him..”

Gerard smiled at me with so much pain in his expression that I felt physically sick. 

“Baby...I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry. Oh fuck...I didn't mean to bring this all up, I-”

He sniffed as tears rolled down his cheeks slowly. “Don't be sorry, Frankie. You have a right to know..”

I smiled sadly and pulled him into a soft kiss. “I'm glad I know, beautiful. You're not damaged goods to me, or anything like that. And Mikey loves you, so so much...you should be proud of that...and proud of him. He's a great kid..”

Gerard shivered and pressed himself closer to me, grabbing at my arm lightly. “I wish I could tell him..”

I wrapped my arms around my mate, rubbing his back slowly and soothingly. “I think you should. He's eighteen now, he deserves to know..”

“He might hate me.”

“I doubt it, baby. Look at me..” 

Gerard shifted his gaze back to my eyes, sniffling again. 

“Mikey loves you. No matter what. We’ll talk to Brendon, how's that? He’ll help us if you wanna talk to Mikey. But right now I think we need a proper cuddle in bed, don't you?” 

Gerard nodded quickly, flinging his arms around my neck and burying his face in my hair. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm updating a little early because I may or may not be out late tonight. Sorry it's a little short and sorry if you like suspense. If you don't, then you're welcome! :)   
> Poor Gee...


	18. Chapter 18

**F**

I stroked Gerard's hair slowly, feeling him shift against my chest as he started to wake up. It had been another rough night, but we'd agreed to talk more in the morning, and I think it had helped Gerard sleep. 

He grunted now, nuzzling my chest sleepily. I ran my fingers through his hair, purring softly to him. 

“Good morning, Gee..”

Gerard grumbled something, but lifted his head and kissed me briefly, then tried to bury his face in my chest again, but I caught his chin carefully. 

“Baby, we said we'd talk...about Mikey..”

He froze for a couple seconds, then opened his eyes as he relaxed. “Okay..”

I pecked his lips again, pulling the covers up over his shoulders and starting to rub his hip. “Do you still want to tell him?”

“He's eighteen. He should know who his mother is.”

I nodded slightly and brushed Gerard's hair behind his ears as he smiled at me, the expression not quite reaching his eyes. 

“Okay. As long as that's what you want, I'll help you. But I think...I feel like we should talk more about…” I waved a hand. “All the other stuff.”

Gerard pulled a face. “Like?”

“Like you getting assaulted, carrying Mikey, giving birth, keeping him...all that..”

“Is it worth it? It'll only really be dredging up the past..”

I sighed and kept rubbing circles into my mate’s hip slowly. “I just want to know if there's anything else you think you should tell me. I'm your husband, I want to know you..”

Gerard sighed and shrugged. “I got pregnant, my parents noticed when I was six months in, tried to get rid of it, but couldn't safely. I had no fucking idea what was going on. When I got to nine months, my parents went out on their date night one night...my bedroom was in the basement...I started feeling the cramps and I didn't know what they were. Before I knew it, there was a baby on the bed, along with a whole lot of blood. It's not really safe for male omegas to give birth naturally, it's better for them to have c-sections, so I kinda passed out and my parents found us when they came back. They said I could keep him for a while, but decided for me that he should think of me as his brother. We moved to a different state where no one knew us and got on with life, I guess..”

I sighed and opened my arms, wrapping them around Gerard tightly as he buried his face in my neck, sniffling softly. “I've got you now. I'm sorry about everything, I guess you probably wanted a new baby really bad, huh?” 

“N-no..” Gerard mumbled shakily, squeezing me lightly. “I don't anymore. Mikey’s my baby and I don't need another one. I'm terrible with kids, I wanna be a mother to the adult I have.”

I chuckled softly and rubbed his back slowly. “Okay, beautiful. If you...if we tell Mikey a-and that...I wouldn't be...I wouldn't be his dad, would I?”

Gerard tensed slightly. “I hadn't thought about it. I guess it depends on what he wants. What would...what would you want?”

I cleared my throat and sighed. “I'd be more than happy to call Mikey my son. But it's...it's up to him, like you said.” 

He sighed and looked away, snuggling a little closer to me. “It's been so hard..”

I kissed the top of his head, silently encouraging him to elaborate. 

“It's awkward, with Mikey. He says I sound like Mom a lot. And...and I try not to get too involved in things, y'know? But he's...he's my  _ son.  _ I  _ hated  _ Pete. I would have slit his throat if I'd been able to get to him after he hurt Mikey. I took so much shit from Pete so he wouldn't touch my son..”

I winced and rubbed my eyes lightly. “And then I came along and fucked it all up.”

“You didn't mean to,” Gerard mumbled, kissing my chest softly. “I just hated watching him do what he did to my baby boy. But I tried...I tried to tell Mikey, and he got angry with me. He said I needed to back off...he said I was a shitty brother. He said I was trying to ruin his happiness..” 

I stroked Gerard's hair slowly and soothingly. “I think you've been a good brother, Gee. I just think that maybe when you crossed the line to mothering him, I think he reacted badly. It's not that you did the wrong thing, it's just not what he expected from your relationship..”

“I know. But it still hurt.”

I lifted Gerard's chin, kissing his lips softly. “It's okay now. We're gonna talk to Mikey together. How about I call Brendon? You could do with another bath cause you didn't wash properly yesterday, and then we could go out for lunch with Bren or something. Have a chat to him..”

Gerard nodded slightly and I kissed his forehead. 

“Gee, I don't wanna sound like a dick, but is there anything else you're lying to me about? I just...I wanna know..”

Gerard shook his head quickly, his eyes a little wide. “No, Frankie. And I only lied because I had to.”

“I know, and you're completely forgiven, I promise,” I murmured, pecking his lips again. “I'm guessing the timeline with David and that was a little different.”

“Yeah, well, I finished university before I went back to live with Mikey again, so I guess that's a small lie...I had a bachelor’s in literature. And then I moved back and David happened, I guess. After that it's all the same.”

I nodded slightly and rested a hand on my mate’s cheek, running my thumb under his eye soothingly. “I love you, y'know. I'm proud that you went to university and I'm so proud of you for this whole thing with Mikey. You're amazingly strong and Mikey’s such a good kid. I'm gonna go take a quick shower and then I'll call Brendon, okay?”

“Okay. I love you.” 

~

Brendon glanced at Gerard as we sat down at the table. Gerard was a little paler than usual, and was shaking slightly, so I rested a hand on his thigh, running my thumb back and forth to calm him down. 

“So what's going on?”

I sighed quietly and glanced at Gerard, who looked away. “Gerard has been lying about his age. He's not twenty three, he's thirty.”

“Okay...what does this have to do with Mikey?”

I looked at Gerard again, squeezing his thigh lightly. “Do you want me to tell him, baby?”

Gerard nodded without looking at me, quickly putting a hand over his eyes. I sighed again and gently took his other hand, holding it tightly. 

“Gerard was...forced when he was twelve, and became pregnant. By the time his parents found out and everything, he was too far gone for the baby to be aborted. To make a long story short, Mikey is Gerard's son, and his parents thought it would be better if Mikey thought they were brothers. This has been really hard on Gerard and he'd really like it if he could tell Mikey, but he's nervous and we wondered if you could help us at all.”

Brendon blinked and ran a hand through his hair. “Well, first of all, holy shit. That's fucked up.”

Gerard made a soft choking noise and I glared at Brendon, who just sighed. 

“It's not your fault, though, I know. I mean...Mikey's doing a  _ lot  _ better. He's stopped having nightmares and he's talking to me a lot more. But he's still kind of reeling from what happened with Pete. I'm not sure if now is the best time.”

Gerard started to get up, but I pulled him back down gently. 

“I think Gerard's been tortured for eighteen years and that that's enough now, Bren. Do you think Mikey can handle it right now?”

Brendon put his hands up and shrugged. “He can handle it, but I don't think he's going to have a good reaction.”

“Brendon!” 

I looked up as Mikey jogged over. Gerard ripped himself out of my grip immediately and hurried toward the bathrooms. I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose as Mikey leaned down and kissed his boyfriend. 

“Hi, Frank. Where'd Gerard go?”  

I cleared my throat awkwardly. “I think he needed to pee..” 

Brendon shot me a look as Mikey sat down and I shrugged slightly. 

“I'll go check he's ok.” 

I hurried in the direction Gerard had taken, pushing the bathroom door open. He was curled up on the floor, his knees against his chest and his back to the wall as he sniffled. 

“Hey beautiful,” I murmured, crouching down and smiling at him as I rubbed his knee. “What's going on?” 

He lifted his head just slightly, shrugging. “I'm scared.”

“Don't be, come on. We don't have to talk to him now, baby. Promise. We can do it another day.”

“But I w-want it over..”

“Then I can invite them home with us and we can talk. How's that?”

Gerard nodded shakily, rubbing his already red eyes with his sleeve. “Okay. I'm...I love you.”

“I love you too, baby. I do.” 

~

I sat down next to Gerard, across from Brendon. Mikey sat down across from his mother, sliding him a mug of coffee. “Gee, you look like someone's died, what's going on?”

Gerard gulped and looked at me fearfully. I squeezed his hand gently. “You need to tell him, Gerard..”

I passed Gerard the envelope and he sighed quietly, pulling out one sheet of paper. He handed it to Mikey.

“Your birth certificate?” Mikey muttered, confused as he read through it. Gerard sighed. 

“Look at the year.”

Mikey snorted. “That's not right. Why are you showing me a fake birth certificate?”

He looked at me and Brendon started to rub his back slowly. Confusion and doubt started to surface in Mikey's expression as Gerard got out another sheet of paper. “Gee, please tell me you're fucking with me, what's going on?”

Gerard swallowed hard, holding the sheet carefully. “Mikey. I'm not fucking with you. These documents are original and they aren't fake or incorrect. These are my original copies…”

He handed over the second one and Mikey started to laugh. “But, Gee, this one says that you're my mom! What the fuck? What kind of sick joke is-”

Brendon leaned over and kissed Mikey's cheek, squeezing his waist gently. “Think about what you're saying, Mikey..”

Gerard closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “I'm thirty years old, Mikey. When I was twelve, I was...I was raped. I had you nine months later and Mom and Dad thought it would be best if you thought of me as your brother. I wanted to keep you as my son, but they told me that was ridiculous and selfish. I'm...I'm sorry..”

I watched Mikey nervously as he glared at the certificate. Brendon took both of the sheets from him carefully, handing them back to me with a worried look. Gerard reached across the table, trying to take Mikey's hand. “I love you, Mikey..”

I watched as Mikey recoiled and felt Gerard freeze as the younger man got up hurriedly and stormed out of the room. Brendon winced and ran after him, and I heard the front door slam. Gerard sat there for a few seconds, frozen and staring at nothing as tears ran down his cheeks slowly. 

I tried to pull him into my arms, but he shoved me away from him and swept the mug off the table, growling as it shattered on the floor. He got up quickly enough to knock his chair over and hurried off, limping badly. I stood up slowly and quietly started to clean up, wincing as I heard a door slam upstairs. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a bit short again, the next couple will be as well. Hope you enjoy anyway! <3


	19. Chapter 19

**M**

Brendon tried to grab me as I hurried to the car, but I slapped his hands away and wrenched the door open, getting in quickly. He stood there for a second or two, staring at the sky, then took a deep breath and got in behind the wheel, starting the car. “Mikey-”

“Don’t.”

“Gerard loves you, Mikey,” Brendon murmured, pulling into the road. “I'm not going to lecture you, but just think about things. He's had to watch you grow up and lie to you and watch Pete hurt you.”

“And he still lied..”

Brendon reached over and rested his hand on my thigh. “Mikey, honey, I don't think-”

“He's my  _ brother _ ! Not my mom, that's...that's gross! And I'm...I'm the son of a fucking pedophile rapist! That's…oh god..”

I looked away sharply and Brendon pulled the car over, gently cupping my face in his hands. “Mikey. Mikey, look at me. You're  _ you.  _ It doesn't matter who your parents are, okay? You're Mikey Way and you're a sweet, kind, smart, funny, moody person, and you're a  _ good  _ person. Your parents don't define you, honey. You do. Don't be disgusted by Gerard, it's not his fault. I know it's weird and scary and new, but he's still Gerard, and he still cares for you so so much.” 

I gently pulled away, resting my forehead on the glass of my window. “But...Jesus Christ. Gerard gave birth to me when he was fucking twelve...I don't...is that why he can't have kids now? He could have had a baby with Frank and raised it properly and loved it...oh shit..”

Brendon started to rub my shoulder again as he pulled back into the road. “I think it is linked to Gerard's fertility issues, but that's not...that's not your fault, Mikey. It's his parents’ fault. Frank said that he gave birth naturally because his parents weren't keeping an eye on him properly. That's on them.”

“I kn-know, I just…” I rubbed my eyes, another wave of random emotions crashing over me. “I'm angry and sad and creeped out and..” I shuddered briefly, wiping my cheeks quickly. “I don't know how to feel..”

Brendon grabbed my hand gently, squeezing it tightly. “Mikey, if Gerard had kept you, chances are he wouldn't have met Frank. He might not have met any of his other friends...he might not have met David...look, there's infinite ‘what if’s, but there's only one ‘what happened.’ That's what you have to focus on. Gerard is your mother. He carried you and he gave you life and he  _ loves  _ you. What happens next is up to you, but he was very brave in telling you.” 

I sniffed, letting Brendon lace our fingers. “Let's get you home. You should text Gerard, though. Or Frank. He needs to know you don't hate him, yeah?”

“I don't know how I feel, Bren.”

“But you're not going to drop him from your life, are you? You just need time. He can understand that.”

I rubbed my eyes again lightly and sighed. “Can you do it, please?”

“Yeah, I'll uh...I’ll call Frank. I can talk to him if you want.”

“Please, I'm. I'm tired.”

“I know, honey,” Brendon soothed, pressing a couple buttons on the hands-free in his car. The phone started to ring and I groaned softly, letting Bren grab my hand again. 

“Hey,” Frank said quietly, sounding worn out and shaken. “What's up?”

“Um, well, Mikey wanted to...not apologize, but say that he doesn't hate Gerard or anything, he just needs some time..”

“Thanks, Bren. I'll uh. I'll tell him as soon as he unlocks the door.”

I buried my face in my hands and Brendon squeezed my shoulder gently. 

“I'm guessing he's not doing so well.”

“No, he kind of had a breakdown, I think. I'd pick the lock, but I think it would just make him worse. He’ll be okay.”

“Yeah..tell him Mikey's okay, too. I'm taking him home, we’ve talked things through a little and I just think he needs time,” Brendon murmured, glancing over at me. I nodded slightly, rubbing my eyes with one hand. 

“I'm sorry for my reaction, Frank,” I said quietly, still staring out of the window. “I'm sorry if I hurt him, I just...can't do this..”

“I know, Mikey, it's okay,” Frank mumbled. “Don't worry about Gee. He’ll be okay. Just uh...let me know if you wanna talk. Like if you wanna know more or anything like that, let me know. I'm here for both of you.” 

“Thanks..”

“No problem. I think I gotta go, though, I'll talk to you guys later.”

“Alright. Give Gerard our best.” 

“Will do.” 

Frank hung up and Brendon took my hand again gently. “You feeling any better?”

“Not really. I just wanna forget about it for a while.”

“How about we rent some shitty movie and cuddle on the couch for a couple hours? Get your mind off it?”

I watched everything go by for a while, then sighed softly. “Yeah, okay. Thanks Bren.”

“Of course, hon.” 

~

Brendon smiled down at me as I snuggled closer to him, resting my cheek against his chest. 

“You feeling better?”

I sighed and moved my hand up, resting it over his heart to feel the beat. “Not really.”

“You wanna talk, sweetie?”

“I dunno. I don't feel like I'm anymore sure than I was..”

Brendon's phone buzzed and he picked it up, sighing softly. “Gerard's okay, I just got a text from Frank.” 

“How is he?”

Brendon kept one arm around me, humming softly as he unlocked his phone. “He was really upset, but apparently our phone call with Frank helped a lot. He's asleep now.”

“Good. Wish I was,” I muttered quietly. Brendon tossed his phone aside and stroked my hair slowly.

“What's going on in your mind, Mikes? Anything new?”

I nuzzled him lightly, sighing as I relaxed against him. “Not really. I just...it makes me feel sick, just thinking about what he went through. And like...he must have known what Pete did to me, and he knew that letting Pete do shit to him would redirect it, y'know? He was protecting me..”

Brendon started to stroke my hair slowly, soothingly. “Mikey, that's not your fault, I mean-”

“So I got with Pete and Gerard protected me from him and I was too stupid to see it and then Frank turns up and protects Gerard and I blame him for it. How is that not my fault? I should have-”

“Don't say that, Mikey. Come on, honey. You didn't know, you don't have the life experience yet, you're still young,” Brendon murmured, brushing his knuckles over my cheek lightly. “Gerard did what he did, and you didn't ask him to.”

“But Pete would touch him  _ all  _ the time. I asked him to stop once and he hit me..”

“Mikey, look at me. That's not your fault,” he said more firmly, cupping my chin in one hand. “It's done now. You can't change it, honey, you can apologize or you can just get on with it. Gerard did what he did because he loved you.”

I grumbled quietly, snuggling closer and wrapping my arms around him. “I know, but still..”

“If you feel that bad about it, then go and see him tomorrow. Talk to him, let him talk to you.”

“But he's gonna be really emotional and-”

“Mikey. I'll go with you. Frank will almost certainly be there. We’ll be buffers.”

“He’ll still cry,” I muttered, and Brendon snorted. 

“You need to start getting used to human emotions, Mikey.” 

“Maybe tomorrow, maybe not.” 

“Okay. You wanna go to bed yet or nah?”

I glanced at the clock and shook my head. “Another movie?”

“Okay, sweetie,” Brendon murmured, nuzzling my cheek as he tugged the blanket over us and hugged me a little tighter. 

~

I woke up to my phone ringing, grabbing for it sleepily. Brendon was fast asleep, the bastard. He would sleep through a fire truck driving into the house. 

I pressed answer without looking at the caller ID. 

“Mikey?”

I winced at the sound of Gerard's shaky voice, pulling my phone away from my ear to hang up. 

“Thank god,” he breathed out, sniffling. I hesitated, my chest tightening uncomfortably. “Mikey, I'm...I’m sorry.”

I took a deep, shuddering breath. “What for, Gee?”

Gerard sniffed again and I heard Frank's slightly deeper voice in the background. “Baby? Who are you...oh...okay..”

“I'm sorry for lying to you.” 

I pinched the bridge of my nose, closing my eyes tightly. “Gee, you didn't...you didn't mean to..”

“I should have come clean sooner, or-”

“Gerard, I wouldn't have been able to handle it when I was younger. You did the right thing..”

Gerard choked back a soft sob. 

“Shh, beautiful,” Frank murmured, his voice a little distorted from distance. “I've got you..”

“I'm sorry, Mikey. I'm s-sorry. I love you, Mama loves you..”

I swallowed hard and jumped as I felt Brendon's arms slip around my waist. He pressed a soft kiss to the back of my neck, rubbing my chest slowly. 

“I love you too, Gee.”

I heard a soft exhale and could imagine him smiling through the tears as Frank held him tightly. 

“I'm so glad, Mikey. I'm so glad. I wanna see you again..”

I leaned back against Brendon, feeling a little calmer as he nuzzled my cheek. “I wanna see you too. With Frank and Bren. I'm...not chaperones, just..”

“Buffers,” Gerard mumbled, and I heard Frank chuckle softly. “I know. I know how you are, Mikey.” There was so much fondness in his quiet voice that I felt like I couldn't breathe. 

“Maybe lunch?”

“Yeah, that sounds nice. Somewhere good.”

“Andy's?”

Gerard let out a tiny sigh and the tightness in my chest and stomach started to fade. “Perfect. At twelve.”

“At lunchtime,” I hummed, and Gerard managed a little chuckle. 

“Yeah. At lunchtime. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Brendon ran his hands down my sides slowly, gently squeezing my hips. “Is he okay?”

“He was crying, I heard Frank trying to calm him down. He called himself ‘Mama.’”

Brendon studied my face for a second, then smiled slightly. “And you didn't hate it.”

I shrugged, looking down and turning my phone over and over in my hands. “I guess not. It made my chest feel tight. Like I couldn't breathe..”

Brendon laughed quietly and pulled away from me to stretch. “That's called emotion, Mikey. Good job for having one.”

I slapped his chest playfully, rolling my eyes. “Asshole.”

He leaned over and pulled me into a gentle kiss, running a hand down my back slowly. “Mhm.”

“Can we just snuggle all morning?” I mumbled, gently grabbing at him as he glanced over at the clock. 

“One more hour, then I gotta get ready.”

~

Brendon and I were there first, so we got a table and sat down, Brendon holding my hand firmly under the table. I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, trying to fight back the rising anxiety. 

I heard footsteps, but didn't open my eyes until I heard the scrape of chair legs across the floor. Gerard sat down across from me, smiling at me nervously and folding his hands in his lap neatly. His cane, which he hadn't been using for weeks, was hung over the back of his chair. Frank was looking down at the table, one hand on Gerard's thigh comfortingly. Brendon ran his thumb over my knuckles slowly. 

“How are you doing, Mikey?” Gerard managed to force out, swallowing hard. 

I smiled, but knew it looked plastic-y and sickly. “I'm okay. Worried about you.”

“Worrying is my job,” he joked softly, but his smile still wasn't reaching his eyes. Frank was watching him in concern. 

“I know, but I know I reacted badly and I was rude and I know it must have hurt you. I love you, Gee. And I'll forgive you anything, but adjusting to this new relationship is going to take a while, for both of us.”

Gerard took a deep breath and nodded slightly. “Are you...are you disgusted by me?”

Brendon squeezed my hand tightly and I glanced at Frank, noticing his mild surprise. 

“No, Gee. Of course not, I just...I'm a little weirded out that my brother is my mother, but I'll get over it. I guess I'm disgusted that my father is a-”

Frank cut me off gently as despair flooded Gerard's eyes. “We were talking about that, actually. And I mentioned this to Brendon, but if you wanted, I um. Well. I'd be able to adopt you. It's not a decision you have to make now or ever, but I wanted to put it on the table. Get it all out there. Your father doesn't always have to be a loser.”

I gulped and gently pulled away from Brendon, burying my face in my hands. There was a chair scrape noise and I felt warm arms wrap around me, the scent immediately telling me it was Gerard. But as he pulled me against his chest, stroking my hair slowly, I realized that it felt different. Gerard was holding me in a way he never had before. I buried my face in his neck and felt my body relax against his as I grabbed onto him gently. 

“It's okay, Mikey,” he murmured soothingly. “You don't have to think about that yet. It's alright. Mama’s here..” 

I pulled away carefully, rubbing my eyes as I leaned into Brendon quickly, embarrassed and confused. He slipped an arm around me as Gee sat back down, also blushing slightly. 

“Sorry, I don't mean to say that, it just-”

“It's fine!” I blurted out, a little too loudly and a little too fast. Frank smiled slightly and waved a waitress over. 

“Let's get some drinks.”

 

We talked about normal things over lunch, as most of the talking was done by Brendon and Frank. I kept catching Gerard looking at me with this tiny, elated smile on his face, but I didn't mind. 

After the plates had been cleared, Frank and Brendon ordered us desserts and went for a walk, leaving Gerard and I sat together awkwardly. 

“Mikey...you can ask me anything you want to know..”

I took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of my nose lightly. “Am I the reason you're infertile?”

Gerard cleared his throat, glancing away briefly. “No. I am infertile because I gave birth to you naturally and half my uterus left with you. It um. Happens a lot in male natural births. And my parents should have been there. They should have taken me to the hospital, but they were busy on their date night and I almost bled out. It's not your fault.”

I blinked and looked down, my stomach clenching. “Did it hurt?”

“Yeah.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Don't be, Mikey. It's alright. I dealt with it just fine and I'm fine now. I don't really want another baby with Frank anyway, I'm terrible with little kids.”

I looked down and took a deep breath. “You might later.”

“Then we’ll adopt or something. No biggie. Don't worry about me, Mikey. I'm okay.”

“Did you let Pete touch you so he wouldn't do it to me?”

Gerard blinked, then swallowed hard and nodded slightly. “Yeah. I hoped he'd maybe...he'd leave you for me. And then I could dump his ass for you.”

I smiled slightly, but there was a sharp twist in my gut. “I called you a slut…I'm sorry.”

Gerard shrugged and brushed his hair behind his ears, wrinkling his nose slightly as he smiled, this one just barely touching his eyes. “It's okay. You didn't know, and a mother...a mother can forgive their babies almost anything, Mikey.”

I mirrored his smile, but felt the color on my cheeks. “It still sounds weird when you say it.”

Gerard giggled softly and nodded. “It does to me too, but it feels right.”

“Who was he? My dad?”

Gerard ducked his head and sighed softly. “Um. I've told Frank most of this, but not really all...he was a teacher at my school. I started getting heats when I first turned twelve. He said he could make them go away, and because Mom and Dad were betas, they didn't really talk to me about heats properly, and I just hated them. They hurt and all the alphas would come and throw themselves at me and grab at me and call me mean things. So I asked him to show me how and he took me into the locker room and..” He waved a hand vaguely, not meeting my gaze. “I hated it, thank God, and I told him to leave me alone because his cure hurt more than my heat, but he timed it right and it only took once. He's been arrested since, cause he kept hurting other kids.”

“What did he look like?”

Gerard sighed. “I thought you might ask..”

He tugged his phone out and opened it, pulling up a photo. “That's from my school yearbook..”

I studied it for a few seconds, shivering. The man was handsome, with a nice smile. He looked to be in his thirties and was wearing a shirt, tie, and a sweater vest. He even had glasses. 

“Oh. He's..”

“Normal? I know..”

Gerard took his phone back gently. “It's scary, how normal looking people can turn out to be horrible.”

I nodded slightly, swallowing hard and starting to feel very sick. Gerard got up and moved to the seat next to me calmly, starting to rub my back slowly. “Shh, Mikes. It's alright. Don't get upset, yeah? He doesn't matter, he's in our past and he's staying there..”

I leaned into Gerard slightly, letting him fix my hair and managing not to flinch as his hands brushed my cheek. “Did it hurt? Watching me grow up?”

“Every day,” Gerard murmured, stroking my cheek slowly and smiling at me sadly. “But I was so proud of you, Mikey. You're everything anyone could ever want in a son..”

I sniffed, feeling my throat tighten as I looked down at the table, blinking quickly. The tears fell anyway and Gerard wiped them away with his sleeve, then kissed my forehead. “It's a little overwhelming, huh?” He said kindly, and I nodded quickly, shaking slightly. 

“Y-yeah..”

I looked up as the waitress walked over, carrying two plates. She set one down in front of me, the other in front of Gerard, who thanked her quietly. I looked down at my ice cream sundae, suddenly much less hungry. Gerard bumped my shoulder with his gently. “It's okay, Mikey. Have a bite, you'll feel better for it. Or you could have some of my cheesecake, which would you like?”

I smiled slightly, quickly brushing a fresh round of tears off my cheeks. “Mine looks good, but thank you..”

“It's okay, swee-...Mikey.”

I blushed again and ducked my head slightly, taking a deep breath. Gerard stroked my hair slowly, then took a bite of his dessert delicately, watching as I slowly followed suit. 

 

Gerard hugged me tightly, rubbing my back slowly as I buried my face in his neck briefly, enjoying his new embrace. “I love you, Mikey. Thank you for seeing me today, I know it was hard.”

“I love you too,” I mumbled simply as I broke away, letting Brendon take my hand. Frank grinned at me and waved. “I'll see you soon, Mikes..”

I watched for a few seconds as Frank supported Gerard back to the car, wincing to myself. Brendon gently tugged my hand and I sighed, hurrying after him. 

“He's probably just stiff. Don't worry too much, Mikey. Let's get home, yeah? You have homework to do before tomorrow and I need to get ready for work. We’ll have a serious afternoon and then watch some good tv in the evening. Sound good?”

I nodded as I got into the car, feeling a bit shaky and drained. I rested my head on the window again, and Brendon took my hand wordlessly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this makes you guys feel a bit better, next chapter will be a little intense tho...


	20. Chapter 20

**M**

Frank looked up as I walked into his classroom. “Oh. Is everything okay?”

I nodded slightly, shoving my hands in my pockets awkwardly as he started putting books back on the shelves around the room. “Yeah. Is Gerard..?”

“He's doing okay. He's had some nightmares, but nothing I can't handle. They'll pass soon anyway.” 

I nodded again, kicking at the carpet lightly. Frank sighed softly. 

“What's going on, Mikey?”

“Brendon’s going away for work..”

Frank took a seat on one of the desks and gestured for me to do the same. I didn't move. “Okay? And?”

I cleared my throat, feeling the blush creep up my neck. “I d-don't like being alone..”

“So come stay with us, it's not an issue.”

I felt my shoulders drop and Frank smiled at me, shaking his head slightly. “You're always welcome, Mikey. Always. When does he leave?”

“Um, Wednesday. On our half day, he leaves while I'm at school.”

Frank nodded, swinging his feet slightly as he looked up at the ceiling. “I have to take Gerard to an appointment just after school, so I can drop by and pick you up around three?”

“What appointment?”

He shook his head again. “Routine eye test. Nothing to worry about.”

“Alright. I'll um. See you then.”

“No problem, see you.”

~~~

I unlocked the front door and slipped inside, leaving my backpack just inside the hallway. I shut the door behind me and wandered into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water. I heard a creak and nearly dropped the glass, spinning around quickly. There was no one there. I took a deep breath and went back to what I was doing, only reminded of why I hated being home alone. I made myself a snack and took it into the living room, turning on the tv. 

“Mm, that looks nice.”

I shrieked and dropped my plate, hugging myself tightly as I turned to face the intruder. Pete grinned at me. 

“Hey sweetie. They moved my sentencing date.”

My jaw went slack and I grabbed at my phone, knowing not to take it out of my pocket. I unlocked it and tapped on Gerard's contact, knowing it was on my home screen in case of emergencies. Pete shuffled around to the other side of the couch, still grinning as I backed away nervously, my now healed arm starting to ache. I'd heard the dial tone finish and Gerard's voice, only noticeable under the chatter of the tv because I'd been listening for it. 

“Pete, please, this isn't my house, it's Brendon's, and-”

“And you're a fucking slut, yeah I know. Are you fucking him? I bet you love taking it up the ass for him. I bet you scream for him every time, yeah?”

Pete changed his voice, making it a higher pitch. “Ooh, ooh, Brendon, right there!”

I ducked my head, my eyes unfocusing slightly. “We haven't had sex.”

“He should try raping you, I hear it's quite satisfying. Your brother isn't so much fun, he just lays there and takes it. I love that you fight back. How about we give it another go?”

Pete lunged and I wasn't quick enough to step out of the way, ending up with his hand around my throat. “Let's go for a walk.”

I shivered and nodded compliantly, following Pete as he led me out of the house. “Why are we going right?” I asked, raising my voice a little in the hopes that Gerard was still on the other end of the line. “Shut up.”

I winced and shuffled after Pete quietly, noticing a car pull up behind us. I didn't look around, keeping my hands in my pockets nonchalantly. I could feel someone following me now, but still didn't look around. Suddenly, someone bolted past me and leapt at Pete just as I felt hands on my shoulders, gently pulling me away. Gerard turned me around, grabbing at my cheeks lightly as he looked me over frantically. “Are you alright? Are you okay?”

I nodded quickly, then started to sob softly as Gerard led me away from the sounds of Frank beating the shit out of Pete for the second time. 

“It's okay, baby,” he soothed as he walked me back into Brendon's kitchen, clinging to my wrist tightly. “It's okay. Come here..”

I fell into his arms eagerly, shaking against him as he held me tightly, one hand cradling the back of my head and his other arm around my waist. “Shh, sweetie. Don't cry, you're safe. You're safe now, I promise. I promise. We called the police, I promise Frank won't kill him..”

I buried my face in Gerard's neck, sobbing very quietly as I heard sirens outside. He rubbed up and down my back slowly, kissing the side of my head. “Shh, sweetie. I've got you. Mama’s here..”

“Mama..” I whimpered, digging my nails into his back as I clung to him, my whole body shaking. 

“Oh baby. I'm here. I'm here. Nothing's gonna hurt you, not while I've got you. I'm so proud of you, Mikey. You kept so calm and you called me and I'm so so proud..”

I heard more footsteps and Frank stumbled into the room, grinning and covered in blood. “I'm gonna go wash up..”

Gerard gently turned my head back to face him, then kissed my forehead softly. “It's alright. I think we need to go talk to the policemen, yeah? So Frankie doesn't get arrested..”

I nodded slightly, rubbing my eyes with my sleeve and taking a deep breath. “Okay.” 

~

Frank was sitting next to me, stroking up and down my spine absentmindedly as I sat half in Gerard's lap, curled against his chest. 

“I was so scared..” I mumbled, gently grabbing onto his shirt. He kissed my cheek. 

“I know, Mikey. I know, I'm sorry. But he's...probably got major brain damage, hopefully some amnesia..”

Frank winced, but didn't say anything, looking away. Gerard just smiled a little vacantly, then looked back at me and stroked my hair back slowly. “Mama loves you.”

My heart seemed to settle as Gerard uttered the simple statement, his hand resting comfortably on my cheek. I let my eyes slip closed and snuggled closer to my mother, feeling the warmth as a blanket was laid around me. 

 

Frank was talking quietly. “Gerard, don't overdo it, baby. Just because he called you mama doesn't mean he's ready for the dynamic to change completely. Give him a little more time, Gee. He's scared and upset. Brendon will be here soon, he's worried about Mikey.” 

“I know, but he's finally...he's finally here and he knows and he's my baby..” Gerard mumbled, sniffling a bit. Frank tutted softly and there was the rustle of clothing. “Oh baby, I know. But you'll stress him out, Gee..” He murmured, his voice a little muffled. I shifted and let out a soft sigh, feeling Gerard's hand in mine immediately. 

“Mikey?”

I opened my eyes slowly and smiled up at Gee sleepily, his grin making me feel warm and comfortable. “Mm.”

“Pete’s been taken back to jail and they're going to give him new charges, then take him to prison while they sentence him...he's not coming back,” Frank announced softly, one hand on Gerard's shoulder. I nodded slightly and rolled onto my side, closing my eyes again. “I'm tired..”

“Then get some more sleep,” Gerard hummed, brushing the backs of his fingers over my cheek. “Do you want cuddles?”

“No thank you.”

Gerard leaned down and kissed my forehead softly. “Get some rest, Mikey. I'll be here when you wake up.” 

“Night, Mama.”

 

When I woke up, it was starting to get dark. I could hear soft breathing behind me and an arm was laid around my waist. I rolled over sleepily and quickly snuggled up to Brendon, purring as he grunted quietly. 

“Hey honey. You okay?”

“Not really.”

Brendon sighed and ran his fingers through my hair slowly, soothingly. “I guessed. Pete's gone now, properly. Everything will be okay.” 

I sighed quietly and shrugged. “I'm still scared.”

“I know, hon, I know. But Frank, Gerard, and I are all here to protect you.”

I didn't say anything, closing my eyes again as I grabbed onto him gently. 

“I think Frank is taking Gerard to visit his mom tomorrow,” Brendon murmured after a short silence. 

“Mm. He says she's doing better.”

“Yeah..that's good, huh?”

I nodded slightly, pressing a quick kiss to Brendon's chest. “I'm tired, Bren, can we just sleep?”

“Of course, honey. C’mere..” I snuggled as close to him as I could get, burying my face in his neck as he stroked my back and side slowly. 

“That's it. Get some rest, Mikey.”

 

_ Pete grabbed my hips, throwing me down to the ground as if I weighed nothing. I tried to scramble away as soon as I landed, but he stomped down on my arm. Pain flooded my vision with white and I screamed, going limp as Pete gripped my jeans, ripping them down before flipping me over. The scream faded into quiet sobs and I tried to push myself up, but he was already forcing himself into me, slamming my hips back down against the floor. Pete panted in my ear as I closed my eyes, my body shutting down. I focused on the searing pain in my arm, trying my hardest to ignore the pressure behind me.  _

 

Brendon was talking to me quietly, stroking my hair slowly. 

“-and then I'm gonna take you to Disney World and we’re gonna go on all the rides.”

I rolled away from him, slipping out of bed. He sighed, but let me go, watching as I tugged a pair of sweats on over my boxers. 

“Mikey, where are you going?”

I didn't answer, walking out of the bedroom and shutting the door behind me quietly. 

 

I knocked just before twisting the handle. 

Frank was sitting up in bed, his chest slick with sweat. Gerard was curled up next to him, his eyes half closed. Frank stared at me blankly as I walked in, shutting the door behind me. “Gee.”

Gerard's head shot up and he blinked at me. “Mikey? Oh fuck...um. Can you go in the ensuite for a minute, sweetie? Frank and I need to put some clothes on..”

I nodded slightly, hugging myself as I slipped into the small bathroom. After a couple minutes, Gerard opened the door and smiled at me sadly. “Hey. What's going on?”

“I had a bad dream.” 

Frank sighed quietly and got back into bed, sitting with his back against the headboard. Gerard stared at me for a couple seconds. I sighed and looked down. 

“I'm sorry, I'm being childish, I just…I’ll go.”

“No, it's okay,” Frank mumbled, running a hand through his hair. “We all need someone after a bad dream..”

Gerard stroked my hair back from my face, leaning against the wall. “Why didn't you stay with Brendon, though?”

I looked down and shrugged. “He doesn't understand. Not really. He hasn't been through what we've been through, he hasn't dealt with Pete..”

Gerard gently took my hand, walking me towards the bed and sitting down on the edge of it with me. “Mikey, sweetie. Bad dreams come when your brain is trying to process the bad things that have happened to you. They'll pass and they don't mean anything, yeah?”

“I know,” I muttered, rubbing my eyes. “I just needed my Mama.”

Gerard blinked and smiled softly, stroking my cheek soothingly. “Well I'm here, Mikey.”

Frank cleared his throat quietly. “I don't mean to be an asshole, but Mikey, you've really taken to calling Gerard that...I'm just worried because neither of you seem like you're adjusted yet, but you're insisting on diving in head first.” 

Gerard sighed, glancing back at Frank. “I'm just excited, you know that. I've had to keep quiet for so long and now I get to pamper you, Mikey. I get to be a good mother, and I'm really over excited about it. I'm sorry if it's too much.”

I shrugged and looked down, sniffling a bit. “I'm just...when you hug me, it feels different. It feels like love and acceptance and it feels special. I wanna feel that all the time..” 

Gerard smiled sadly and fixed my hair gently. “Mikey, I'm your Mama. I'll accept and love you for all of your life, but it's not healthy just to get that belonging feeling from one person. You need to find it with other people, like your friends or Brendon, or even Frank. You can't just attach yourself to one person.”

I shrugged again and Frank shifted around to sit on my other side, rubbing my shoulder lightly. “Gerard's right, Mikey. If you focus on one person solely your whole life, you'll hurt others around you and yourself. Let Brendon in, make friends. Everyone needs more than one person.”

“But Pete-”

Gerard cut in gently, smiling at me sadly. “Mikes, Pete was abusive. He cut you off from other people around you so you wouldn't realize how much he was hurting you. He didn't want you to have healthy relationships, he wanted you to rely on him, and that's not okay. You can't get everything you need from one person. I don't get everything I need from Frank, that's why I see you and I go out with Pat sometimes, or go over to Chris and Ricky's. Frank likes to go out with Brendon for drinks or chat to his dad on the phone sometimes, and that's all okay. That's normal.”

I buried my face in my hands and Gerard hugged me loosely, kissing the side of my head. “There's so many people who love you, Mikey. You don't have to focus on one. You're allowed to have a group, sweetie.”

I heard the door click and Gerard let go of me as Brendon slipped in. 

“Sorry, I just...didn't know where Mikey was..” He mumbled awkwardly. Gerard gently pushed my back. 

“Go back to bed, Mikey. You need more rest, yeah?”

I nodded slightly and shuffled back to Brendon, letting him take my hand. 

“Come on, Mikey. It's alright.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a little late and shitty, I'm having some bad writer's block again. I may have to finish this off fairly soon, or take a break for a while, because I have ideas but I'm struggling to write to them, if that makes any sense at all. I'm not giving up on this just yet, though.   
> I've got another idea I'm working on atm that I like so far so I might put that up at some point, but I want to get some more written first, just so you know.   
> Thanks for reading! <3


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